Slums of Senail
A fantasy story introducing Computing to children, ages 7 - 11.
Role
Writer, Illustrator & Teacher
Duration
5 months – Current
Overview
Slums of Senail is a fantasy story that introduces Computing to children, for ages 7 – 11. The book exposes children to technical words, based on teaching materials, through colourful pictures and rhymes.
Illustrations were all hand-drawn. This ensured every element aimed to engage, encourage critical thinking and comprehension; holding purpose and adding value to the story.
PROCESS
Writing
As a Computing teacher, I wanted to support children on their learning journey. I needed to tell a story to encourage a love for the subject. So I started my journey on writing subject-specific content, with a twist!
My goal was to write story to assist digital literacy in an ever-evolving world of digital devices and online services. However, I didn’t want to just write any story that fits my computing tale. I needed to write a story that touches on societal challenges faced by children all over the world, such as access to clean water, education and safety.
Illustrations
I completed my illustrations over five months. Carefully thinking about how my illustrations will encourage children to unravel the hidden messages within the Slums of Senail.
Throughout the book, every illustration serves a purpose. Below is an image of Fatima and the Wizard.
What do you think this image foreshadows?
GOING BEYOND
Providing Free Resources
As a Web designer, in my previous role, I knew to help my readers further dive deep into the story I could supplement the Slums of Senail with a Website.
www.slumsofsenail.co.uk
Here I upload learning materials and resources for children to access, for free. In hope to remove barriers, I aim to post individual sheets for free. This is to encourage my readers to take a valuable learning experience, i.e. reading the book and completing a worksheet of their choice.
We are doing a countdown on instagram until it is released. Follow me on shah.joynob
