Oman Wires It's all about Oman
Titled, Sariya and the Turtles, the book tells the story of a young girl and her parents. Sariya sees a mama sea turtle laying her eggs on the sand in the moonlight. In the morning, the infant hatchlings scamper down the beach towards the ocean. But dangers are lurking nearby. Will Sariya be in a position to save the infant hatchlings from hungry predators? Old fishing nets, plastic bags and rubbish litter the beaches and make their way into the sea, threatening the turtles’ habitat.
How will Sariya aid safeguard the sea turtles’ house?
Jane Jaffer, the author of the book stated, “I was inspired to create the story right after going to the Ras al Jinz Turtle Reserve with my grand daughter, Sariya, and loved ones. It was incredible to witness the green turtles nesting there. The book assists youngsters find out about these incredible creatures. Five of the seven species of sea turtle can be identified in the seas about Oman’s coastline. The aim of the book is to educate youngsters about sea turtles and make them conscious of the dangers that turtles and other marine creatures are facing.
Two talented 11 year old students, from The Sultan’s School, Lubna al Adawi and Mohamed Raed Dawood, spent several hours right after college, functioning with Heather Ford, head of Primary Art, to develop the colourful illustrations for the hardback book.
Heather stated, “I’d like to congratulate Jane on writing this book. It is an endearing tale with such a strong message. Mohamed and Lubna worked really well together, and the illustrations they produced are beautiful. I am so proud of them and I’d like to thank Jane for giving Mohamed and Lubna this wonderful opportunity.”
One of the students, Mohamed stated, “It was a great opportunity for us to illustrate the pictures for ‘Sariya and the Turtles’. It was an amazing experience and I am so proud of myself.”
Lubna said the experience gave her a lot of self-confidence. “It taught me how to become a better artist and not to doubt myself. I also must say I couldn’t have done this alone. Mohamed was such a good partner. My teacher Ms Heather Ford was always there for us. It is really such a shame knowing that many turtles are dying because of how much plastic we throw away. I hope people will learn from this book and start to actually care about our environment”.
Lubna’s mother, Suad, also hailed the chance provided to the youngsters, “This project has given the children a great opportunity to discover and improve their talents. They also learnt how to work together as a team and how to follow instructions. Overall, it was a most wonderful experience and definitely an eye-opener for them.”
The book will be up for sale in the Let’s Read Charity Book Shop at Al Qurum Complex right after the launch.
Information Source: Muscat Daily
