Meet Sabina,
In the spring of 2023 Mbifebooks will be publishing our newest author Sabina Hassan.
Sabina tell us about your upcoming title:
Growing up in Sweden, the lack of diversity and inclusion shaped me, and many others with my hair type, on how we viewed ourselves. Negative comments were common if you looked different.
I wrote this book because I saw a need for it. I felt a strong urge to do something about a problem that affected me and still affects so many people of the afro diaspora, and because also because I love to write.
Are any of the characters based on real people?
Yes, the events that inspired me to start writing "Molnhåret" are based on real children who went through a similar experience as the main character in my book.
What’s your favorite moment or character in the book and why?
This is a tough question! My favorite moments are with the father. Without revealing too much, The opening of the book is very reminiscent of the relationship between my father and me, who is not alive today. He was also a single dad like the father in my book.
The father in the book has quick reactions and does his best to solve situations, with warmth which helps to calm his daughter. That scene represents comfort, love, and security from someone who knows and loves you very much.
I think my favorite character is the father.
What do you wish people would take away from your book?
Children are generally not allowed to act out their feelings in society, and they also have the right to get angry sometimes. I believe that children must be given the space to feel and handle their emotions, whether that emotion is anger, joy, or something in between. Adults find it challenging to face a "problem" that a child has because adults see the situation through their own eyes. It is important to offer children some space and comfort to understand their feelings and process their emotions at their own pace.
Molhåret is the story of a child with hair that brings her nothing but trouble.
It does what it wants, raining thunder and lightening, this hair disrupts her even in class.
Sabina Hassan’s new title offers a new take to hair love with this delightful picture book.
It will be published in English and Swedish in spring 2023.
