Syeda Amtul Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Thuraya Adel Batterjee, the founder of Visual Art Club and owner of Kadi and Ramadi (K&R) publishing house which specializes in producing children's books, is soon going to release her new book “Abufbaddakon: The Frog.” Batterjee's desire to find interesting and well-illustrated material for her children to read led to establish a career for herself as a publisher of children's books. Her children being her prime source of inspiration, Batterjee realized the need of providing other children, too, with books of their age and interest. Her new book explores a story of a frog who lives in a pond with his family, but decides to move to another pond which he finds more interesting and happening. His family tried convincing him but the frog wouldn't listen to anyone. His friends told him that although things look brighter on the other side, one should always be loyal to his/her family, homeland, people. The adamant frog just left. “The book conveys an important issue to its target audience; many people in our country move abroad for work, education, or other reasons. Our message to them is to return to their country once your job in a foreign country is finished,” said Batterjee. “Abufbaddakon: The Frog” is written by Hyder Gazi Salman, an Iraqi writer, and Saba Bisnad is the illustrator of the book. ”She has done a commendable job and added a lot of expression in the book,” she said. “I believe that reading is very important, especially when children are young, so I felt that I wanted my children to read Arabic books that were attractively designed and illustrated like English books. That was when I started searching and developing quality books from our community with simple language and interesting illustration,” Batterjee said. This directed her to be involved in promoting reading for children and eventually forming her own publishing house, which has attempted to change the way children's books are designed and published in the Kingdom. Officially, Batterjee's publishing career kicked off in 2006. Her first book, which was published by her publishing house, was “Sabah-ut-Eid.” It is a story of a four-year-old boy who enjoys his Eid in line with Islamic and Saudi culture. It was well-liked by children. Explaining the process behind publishing a book, Batterjee said they first collect stories from different writers. Then a committee discusses and decides a story, an illustrator is found, a dummy copy is prepared to get an ISBN number from the ministry. After printing, the book is checked thoroughly and then distributed all over the Kingdom, Dubai, Qatar and other Arab countries. Batterjee said she tries her best that the entire procedure does not take more than six months but the unorganized distribution business in the Kingdom hampers the project. Working for over 10 years in this business, Batterjee feels that a lot has improved but still a lot more needs to be done, with distribution remaining the main focus of attention. “To be honest our field is not a profitable field, but it is surefire rewarding. Publishing is a career which requires continuous efforts and lots of time. Sometimes, because of distribution it comes across as a challenge too,” she said. Batterjee gives lots of importance to the illustration of her character, whose expressions and body language have to be checked time and again to match the story. And, they should also stimulate the child to read the book and come back to it again. Batterjee has obtained her bachelor's degree in economics, and has completed many diplomas in art, illustration, design, animation, and small enterprise management which helps her develop her business. She has also conducted many seminars and workshops, giving lectures and promoting reading among children in schools and summer camps. “Fitakonina bekhair” (You Will Be Okay) is one of her favorite books. It was written by a young girl whose mother was suffering from breast cancer. The book sheds light on how to remain positive when a close member of a family is ill. “My aim is always to create quality books, which reflects our Saudi and Islamic culture and heritage,” Batterjee said.
