From computer scientist to a storyteller weaving children's tales, Sahtinay Abaza's path has been anything but ordinary. Sahtinay’s picture books, The Ramadan Drummer and Looking for the Eid Moon, serve as a magical gateway to understanding Muslim holidays, while simultaneously fostering universal values such as kindness and empathy. Her global perspective highlights how storytelling transcends borders, and her readings from her works offer a glimpse into the richness of diverse traditions and the educational possibilities they hold.
(00:03) Celebrating Muslim Holidays Through Picture Books
The first section of the conversation introduces Satiny Abaza, a children's book author with a unique background in computer science and a global perspective from living in Syria, the UAE, and the United States. We explore her journey into writing, inspired by the lack of engaging stories about Muslim holidays for her daughters, resulting in her picture books that blend cultural traditions with universal themes of kindness and community. We discuss ways her books, The Ramadan Drummer and Looking for the Eid Moon, can be used in classrooms to connect with science, moon phases, community, and empathy. We touch on the importance of books as windows and mirrors for children, providing both self-reflection and understanding of others. Satiny also gives a reading from The Ramadan Drummer, highlighting the impact of acts of kindness during Ramadan, and wraps up with directions for finding her work on social media.
(12:00) Encouraging Young Writers to Persevere
This section offers valuable advice for young aspiring writers, emphasizing the importance of reading extensively and the power of perseverance. We highlight the need for budding authors to believe in themselves and the unique stories they have to tell, encouraging them to relentlessly pursue their passion for writing.
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00:03 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So welcome to the Adventures in Learning podcast. I'm your host, dr Diane, and today I am so excited to introduce you to an author that you may not know yet, but I promise you will. Her name is Sahtinay Abaza and she has written two of the most glorious picture books that I think you need to include in your classroom right now, especially if you're looking at celebrating holidays. So welcome to the show.
00:28 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
Thank you so much, Diane, for having me. I'm so excited to be on your show.
00:31 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, I'm so glad you're here. You know, one of the questions I like to start with with all of my guests is tell us a little bit about your adventures in learning. How did you get to where you are? What led to being an author?
00:47 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
So I have a degree in computer science. I've spent most of my career life working with software companies around the globe, so I never really imagined I would be a children's book author, definitely not an author who would write about a religious holiday of all topics. But when I moved to the United States and became a mother of two little girls, I fell in love with how fun and whimsical the holidays are here in the United States, and unfortunately I couldn't find an engaging tale to read to my daughters about any of the Muslim holidays that we celebrate. And this is what inspired me to write a book.
01:34 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Yeah, Well, and I loved both books. Can you tell our audience a little bit about each of your books and what inspired both of them?
01:48 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
So both books. They introduce an old Muslim tradition in a simple and an engaging way, mainly just to make the holidays more fun and exciting for kids to enjoy. The Ramadan drummer talks about the old tradition of the drummers, who used to stroll the streets during the month of Ramadan and wake people up before sunrise for their last meal before fast. Wake people up before sunrise for their last meal before fast. And looking for the Eid moon introduces our talks about the tradition of sighting the crescent moon. Muslims, they follow the lunar calendar and they rely on the shape of the moon to mark important holidays and dates. So Eid does not begin until the crescent moon is spotted. So um, uh, right, Does not begin until the crescent moon is spotted.
02:41 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, you know, when I read both books, um, one of the things I found myself thinking cause I'm always looking for additional connections how can you connect it to science or STEM in the classroom or, you know, to other books as well? And I found myself thinking that, with the Ramadan drummer, you could connect that to all of these picture books that we talk about in terms of acts of kindness for others and empathy, because that felt like that was so much a driving part of that. And when I was thinking about the eyed moon you know we talk about moon phases, we talk about the moons. You know there's big moon cake for little star and I found myself thinking it would sit so beautifully in that niche, as you're sharing moons and the idea of the moon with children in a classroom, and then you get the added bonus of learning something about the Muslim holidays as well.
03:30 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
Yes, yes, absolutely. And I mean, and that's what we do with our kids right before the holidays We'll take our telescopes and we'll go and you know, look for the, you know the shape of the moon, and yeah, they have interests and they know a lot about the moon phases and all that.
03:52 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So a question for you in terms of your own background, I understand that you have relatives in Syria or that you came here from Syria. Is that correct?
04:03 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
No, I was born in Syria. Okay, grew up in the United Arab Emirates. I'm originally from the North Caucasus, which is part of Russia, and I moved to the United States. I've been here almost over a little over 15 years now.
04:20 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So you have a very global perspective in terms of what you've seen and what you've done. How has that sort of influenced your approach to the books you write, as well as the books you read to your own little girls?
04:36 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
A lot, especially growing up in the UAE, because it's also a very diverse country. I grew up with classmates from different backgrounds, different faiths, and I had a hobby of writing to pen pals from all over the globe as well. And it's funny because even when you're a little kid and you're living in a diverse community, you realize that, regardless what the adults say, we're really much more alike than different kids. We all love the same trends, we love the same music and books and, you know, we even like the same food. We all prefer burgers and pizzas over any sort of ethnic food. So we're much more alike than different.
05:28 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
You know and that's a huge part of the books that I like to share in the classroom and with students and that I shared with my own daughters as well I love the concept of books as windows and mirrors, that they help us to see ourselves reflected, but, even better, they give us insight into the way other people live and other cultures as well, because I think that's part of what builds empathy. Would you be willing to share a favorite passage from one of your books with us?
06:05 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
Sure, I'll read from the Ramadan drummer we did it. He squealed Shh, listen. The drummer whispered, pointing at a house close by. "'listen'. The drummer whispered, pointing at a house close by. A shimmering breeze seeped out the window, then twirled around Adam carrying a soft murmur into his ear. "'what was that'. Adam scratched his head, trotting behind the drummer. More and more whispers drifted from the homes they passed. Hannah won first place in the school tournament'. Mr Sammy is homesick. He misses his family. Zane is lonely. He wishes for a friend. As they approached Adam's house, the air went still and the murmurs disappeared. The drummer winked. During Ramadan, every act of kindness is rewarded. Temple.
07:01 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
I love that. Thank you for sharing that. And if people would like to follow you and find your books, where do they need to go?
07:11 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
So to my social media handle is at Abaza Books. So on Instagram, facebook and Twitter Twitter. My website is also aboutthebookscom. You can find the books on Amazon, barnes, noble online, target online, walmart online. You can also purchase them directly from the publishers. My publishers are Raycraft and Sleeping Bear Press.
07:41 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So a question that I'm always interested in is are there any books from your childhood that you still carry with you today, books that you remember?
07:52 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
My favorite favorite book is when the Wild Things Are. I just love how a child's imagination can truly take them on an entire journey and an adventure, and I think that's why I even ended up writing books for children, because they have just such big and wild imaginations.
08:18 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
I agree that was one of my favorite books growing up too. There's just something magical about the way the pages just get bigger and bigger as the imagination gets bigger and bigger. Yes, so let's talk a little bit about the writing process for your two books. How did you carve out the time between raising children and being a computer scientist and sort of what went into the process? How long did it take you to go from idea to publishing?
08:52 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
I think I started writing. It's really a matter of being at the right place at the right time, I think because I moved from Tampa to Jacksonville, had to quit my job and suddenly I had all this free time, and this was a little before COVID hit. So I had to stay home with the kids and to keep myself sane. You know, I spent more time on on writing again, because I don't I'm not from the publishing industry and computer science background. Um, I didn't realize how hard it would be to write a book, um, but suddenly I had all this free time. So, uh, despite all the rejections, I'm like, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna keep at it. I have nothing else, um, to do. So, um, yeah, I, I guess that's. That's, that's being at the right place at the right time.
09:50 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
That's exciting. And how are people receiving the books? Are they excited to include them in their libraries and in their classrooms? Are you getting to go and do signings?
10:05 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
I had a school visit, yesterday actually, and there were a few Muslim. I did it for the first, second and third graders at the school and I mean it was. It was really, really exciting to see the Muslim kids come up. The Muslim students come up to me and just tell me how excited they are. You know that I was reading that book for them at their school with their friends.
10:32 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
That's wonderful, and are you working on any additional books right now?
10:37 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
Yes, I have a couple other projects in mind. They're not going to be about a religious topic, they're about different topics, but I'm really excited about them.
10:50 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So we'll see what happens more picture books or are you moving into novels? You don't have to tell me what you're working on, but just kind of in broad strokes for now more picture books.
11:01 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
I would love to write a middle grade book at some point. I'm still a little bit nervous about that. I feel like I need a lot more to learn, but for now it's picture books.
11:17 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
And a question I love to ask people, especially sort of in the world that we live in right now, is there anything that brings you hope right now?
11:28 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
I think children are really what bring me hope and I think again. That's why I wrote the picture books for kids. They're the future. There are hope for change, especially in this world that we live in, with all the violence and the hate raging around the world. I mean the hope is in the future, it's in our children.
12:00 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
And if there was a kid who wanted to go into writing, what would you tell them to do?
12:07 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
And if there was a kid who wanted to go into writing, what would you tell them to do? I would tell them to read, read a lot and never give up. And it's really about perseverance and it's about believing in yourself and believing in the stories that you have. And so, yes, you have to just go for it wonderful.
12:35 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, thank you so much for sharing today and, as I said, you all really need to go and get these books and add them to your collection. It has been such a pleasure having you on the adventures and learning podcast thank you so much for having me, Diana.
12:49 - Sahtinay Abaza (Guest)
I appreciate it.