For the month of November, Wildberry Ink will feature a series on picture books written and published from around the world. These picture books were curated for a collection from bookstores in the country that they were written, illustrated, and published. From this series, we hope to help grow a greater appreciation by sharing stories of various perspectives told in our global community.
This spotlight features The King Who Lost His Dreams, a picture book published in United Arab Emirates, written in Arabic by D. Naseeba Al-Azeebe and illustrated by Hussein Aama Kin.
The king becomes upset when he discovers that it had been a long time since he had any dreams. It grieved the king whenever people would speak of their dreams. As a solution, the minister suggests to the king to have the people write their dreams and then burn them so he would not be grieved anymore. However, when they did so, the king ordered for the fire to be put out when he sees the fire suffocating his people.
Later, the king's son suggests that the people draw their dreams in color and tie them together, decorating the city. When the king sees the people's dreams streaming over his kingdom, will the king dream again? This colorful and pastel-like illustrated story prompts and challenges readers to think about their dreams and where happiness comes from.
This post was made possible by Katie Norregaard, who graciously offered her Arabic to English translation skills so I could read this book.