What a treat to welcome Maryam Hassan into The Reading Realm today to talk about her new book UNTIL YOU FIND THE SUN, which is illustrated by Anna Wilson!
Before we sit down in The Reading Realm and talk about your new book, what’s your drink and snack of choice?
Oh gosh! Starting with a hard one. For a drink, I would have fresh lemonade and for a snack, I would go with salt and vinegar crisps, maybe Discos but generally just Walker’s would do. But now I live in Japan I would also say just a big plate of cheese, crackers and chutney because we do not have good cheese here!
Without giving too much away, can you tell us about Until You Find the Sun, which is illustrated by Anna Wilson?
Until You Find the Sun is about the challenges of moving country and how we are always searching for home no matter where we end up.
What inspired the story?
The story was inspired by my time teaching in Chicago. I’ve taught in Chicago, the UK (London), and in Japan (Tokyo), and in all schools I’ve had children come from new countries who don’t speak English or are adjusting to new aspects of life. One little girl came from a very hot country and moved to Chicago during our polar vortex winter. She had never experienced cold weather before and it was a very big transition for her. It got me thinking about the many things we don’t realise are transitions when people move, things like weather or environment. I wanted to write a story to help children like her feel comfort when they moved.
The illustrations are imbued with such warmth and beauty! Do you have a favourite?
It is so hard to pick just one favourite because I honestly believe Anna’s illustrations truly make this book magical. One of my favourites is towards the end when Aminah is telling her grandfather about adventurers in magical snowy lands. The detail in this spread is just beautiful. I always find new details that I love, like the snowman family, or the cute polar bears or even Santa out in the distance! When I read the book children always stop at this page and look at all the things going on in the snow. You can feel Aminah’s happiness and even though the page is snowy and icy it feels cosy and safe.
In the story, Aminah is told lots of exciting adventure stories by her Da. I wondered if you had any early childhood memories of reading and sharing stories that you could tell us about?
My father is a treasure trove of stories from his youth in Pakistan. I used to tell him to repeat my favourites over and over again. One of them was when he was little his mother asked him to get eggs from the shop. My father grew up without much money so buying eggs was a very big deal. He got the eggs and was showing off so he put the carton on his head to take home and as he was walking home a hawk swooped down and stole all the eggs from his head. He said he never forgot how much his mother told him off when he got home. Both my parents would always tell me stories from their childhood, and my mum’s love of books rubbed off on me. I was always reading with her from a young age. I loved stories about friendships and adventures, much like Aminah does! The first book I remember loving was Each Peach, Pear, Plum and then I read the Puddle Lane books with my mum. When I was older I loved Point Horror and the Babysitters Club!
There’s some gorgeous language used throughout Aminah’s journey. You compare snowflakes to ‘stars falling from the sky’. What can you tell us about the writing process for this book? Was it difficult? What was edited out of the story?
I wrote this book after driving home from school in Chicago. I was parked in my car and the story sort of flowed out of me into my phone’s note app. To me, the writing process happens all in one go. I spend a lot of time walking and thinking, trying to plot the story in my head, and thinking of characters and how they would feel and act in certain situations. I get inspired at school a lot, looking for books my children need but can’t find. Then I find a quiet spot, usually a coffee shop, and I sit and write and it flows out. There were some scenes we cut out: one was Aminah’s family having hot cocoa together for the first time, which was one of the events that led her to find her sun in her new home. She’d never had such a drink before and the warmth of the drink soothed the ache inside she felt at leaving her Daa behind. In a picture book you can’t always have every plot point you want, and my editor Katie was wonderful at helping me get the story to where it needed to be.
At the end of the story, Aminah finally begins to settle into her new home. Do you have any thoughts and ideas about what she might be up to do? Will she return in another story, for example?
I wanted to write a series about Aminah, each set in a season exploring a different aspect of moving country. My mum told me a story of when she moved to the UK in the 60s and her 2nd year teacher gave her a bulb to grow at home. She had no idea what this was, or what it would grow into. She looked after it so well and was rewarded with a daffodil as her gift! I can see Aminah learning new things about her environment in the same way, with the guidance and support of her family, friends and teachers. She finds so much joy in her new home that she can share with Da. It would end with Da coming to visit her so she can show him all she’s discovered.
Finally, can you describe Until You Find the Sun in three words?
Sunshine. Home. Love.
