Newbie author celebrates individuality with What Makes me Me?

What makes me Me? is a nonfiction picture book by Poorva Agrawal from the house of Tulika.



In early 2019  Tulika Books invited ideas from the public for a series of nonfiction picture books.  The creators of selected ideas were asked to attend a workshop in Chennai.  What makes me Me? by Poorva Agarwal was one of the books which emerged out of the workshop which was held in association with the Parag Trust.
Big bold and colourful illustrations by Maithili Joshi makes thIs book encourages children to think and discuss what makes them unique from others. 

Picture Courtesy : Poorva Agarwal

.

1. How much of this book was inspired by your two kids?

The book was not inspired by my children at all actually! It was inspired by a curriculum that we were trying to create in a school called Akshara Vidyaashram in Cuddalore, where I used to teach. 

The very first verse, however, is totally based on conversations about evolution, with my elder son. 

2. What is it about celebrating individuality that made you write this book?

It is not about celebrating an individuality actually but understanding the various paradigms through which we can understand ourselves. I took a long while to get to thinking about it and I felt that as children why don't we have some means to understand that there are so many ways to know what makes us human and what makes us individuals and what makes us part of society... if we can try to grapple with this we might not need to hold on to toxic and incomplete ideas of individuality and identity. 

3.How much of the book was ready when you pitched the idea for the nonfiction workshop?

The book was an idea when I pitched it. I probably had one of the verses that's about it... 

4. How did the Tulika Parag nonfiction workshop help you shape the book?

 Well if I could write a book about writing a book, this would be it! The workshop was wonderfully designed to expose us to the available tools and structures of writing a children's book, but it also had sufficient space for creativity and personal choice... the process of iteration with the editors gave me various ways to think about the book and also ways to peg it onto the child's world. I have been a big fan of Tulika books, as a teacher and mother, and through the process of the workshop, I was able to understand the ethic and perspective they bring into children's literature..

it helped me access ways in which we can write to the child and think about how and why a child might relate to each word and verse. Apart from that, the feedback loop helped a lot and it was at all points a balance of scaffolding along with encouraging creative freedom. 

5. Did you get to work with the illustrator while working on this book?

Not really. But I got to give some inputs with respect to the word choices for illustration, in certain sections. 

6.How difficult was it to add rhyme in your text?Did the first draft have the rhyme?  Was it added as an after thought during the revision process/after the workshop ?

I naturally write in verse form so it was not difficult at all.. Yes, the first draft had rhyme.. 

7. You have been a teacher for  drama  and classrooms. How much of writing have you explored before you ideated and wrote this book?

As a young girl, writing was my chosen form of expression. I have written since school and in various capacities... Then I moved on to the teaching side of writing.. but, writing a book for children had always been a wishful thought before this workshop.  

8.what does your 'secret box' contain?Did you have one in your childhood?  Do your kids have one?

That's a secret! hahaha! But yes, I always had one, which was sincerely carried from house to house as we shifted. It had, like most other kids' secret boxes, things that adults would call 'junk'.  

My kids have one each too, and I also still have one! 

9. How important to you think it is to maintain individuality in today's climate of intolerance, mistrust and hate?

I think we need to look at that question slightly differently. It is not about maintaining individuality but thinking about where it comes from, thinking about common threads that shape everyone's 'individuality'and how it is a constant dialogue between various factors (our biology, our psychology, our ethical/philosophical bearings, language, culture, education). 

So, what is this individuality that we are talking about? What is identity? Is there even a fixed identity or are we just choosing to 'identify' with certain structures that call out to us strongly because we don't have nuanced, fluid ways to think about it...? 

In fact, I think instead of maintaining a rigid, fixed notion of individuality and identity. we need to be open to exploring it in multi-dimensional ways, along with examining the common structures of thinking about identity. 

10. After holding your first book in your hands, do you feel inspired to write more?Can we expect more books from you in the near future? 

Oh yes! After seeing this I have a feeling that it is possible. My dream has moved into the 'goal' category. And I will always be grateful to Tulika-Parag for that. 

As for more books, I hope so!  

To buy a copy of What Makes me Me? click here.

(PS:  I am an affiliate of Amazon. When you buy the book through the above hyperlink, I will receive a small percentage of sales which helps me run Kahani Takbak, a platform to promote Indian books, authors and illustrators.)