Let’s face it: adolescence isn’t an easy time for any of us. Learning to bridge the gap between “little kid” and “big kid” can be a tricky time: shifting social rules, more demanding schoolwork, and a growing understanding of the harsher realities of life. Add in larger, specific personal challenges—such as fleeing the effects of war, or learning an entirely new language and culture—and adolescence becomes infinitely more complex.
In Shifa Saltagi Safadi’s Amina Banana chapter book series, clever and earnest protagonist Amina shows that while navigating this precarious time can have its highs and lows, it helps to employ a little of the scientific method: hypothesize a formula, test it, and learn from the results. We had a chance to talk to Shifa about what inspired Amina, the importance of diverse representation, and the fun of approaching everyday life scientifically.
Welcome to The Baby Bookworm, Shifa! For readers unfamiliar with Amina Banana, could you introduce Amina and what’s going on in her life at the beginning of the series?
SSS: Thank you so much for asking about Amina! Amina is a third grader who has just arrived in Indianapolis and the United States from Syria at the beginning of book one. Her and her family’s journey as Syrian refugees was a rocky one, and Amina misses her friends, her school, and most of all—learning science!
So as you mentioned before, she comes up with a formula for…friendship! And she tries to figure out how to make American friends. But as she soon figures out, she’s going about it the wrong way. And learns that the formula for friendship is universal everywhere… and all it takes is a little bit of kindness.
Each one of the next Amina books showcases her character growing into her new life and home, and of course—using FORMULAS each and every time to figure out something new!
To our knowledge, this is the first chapter book series that explores the immigrant and adolescent experience from the perspective of a young Syrian refugee. What drew you to this format for young readers?
SSS: I absolutely adored reading chapter books as a young girl, and as a mom, my kids love to snuggle up in bed with me as we read aloud a chapter from a chapter book each night.
I think what I love about this format is the way that it has both images and words, has both heart and humor, and is absolutely the perfect length for read-alouds (because a chapter moves quick). I think chapter books can also really pack an incredible amount of craft and story in such an easy-to-read format.
Reading beautiful books like the Jada Jones series and the Jasmine Toguchi series showed me the power of diverse representation, and thus Amina was born in my own mind, with me hoping to share my own identity on the page and bookshelf.
Like Amina, you were born in Syria and emigrated to the United States as a child. How much of Amina’s experiences are based on your own childhood?
SSS: A LOT! I think as humans, we are sort of hardwired to remember difficult moments in our childhood, and I very clearly remember the moments of struggling with learning English, being sad at going to ESL instead of playing recess, and trying to figure out balancing my home life of being Syrian with my public and school life of being American.
Amina’s story is very near and dear to my heart, because she very much reflects my own yearning of trying to fit in and make friends, although I will say that her voice is a unique, special voice of its own!
As the titles of the books suggest, Amina is a lover of STEM and the scientific method. What inspired this character choice for her?
SSS: I adore reading STEM books as an adult, even though, funny enough, I am not actually a science or math nerd in real life. I am very much a liberal arts gal. But something about reading STEM makes me feel like I am learning and getting “smarter”, and I wanted to share that experience with little kids, too.
Also, as a former teacher, I adore having added education in books, and try to reflect that in my own work.
Like many English learners (or anyone learning a new language), Amina often feels isolated and frustrated by her inability to express herself fluently. Why do you think that this is such an important lesson for both native and non-native language speakers?
SSS: Amina Banana is a series that I hope builds empathy in all readers. Whether readers are English Language Learners like Amina, or just struggling with fitting in and making friends due to moving, or even just struggling with grades or friendship changes at school, I hope this series provides readers with compassion for themselves and others, as well as shows the way that all of us are connected—no matter where we come from, what language we speak, or what we eat—we all desire to be seen and loved. We all can connect to each other with kindness and humanity.
While the Amina Banana books tackle some relatively heavy subjects at times—language isolation, bullying, financial insecurity, etc.—your stories manage to maintain a sense of buoyancy and hope. As a writer, how do you find that balance between optimism and realism for a young audience?
SSS: Amina’s voice just naturally makes it so easy for me to infuse this delicate balance of hope and optimism along with big-serious-life stuff! Amina is naturally a happy young girl, and she always looks at the “yellow bright sunshine” side of things, so it helps her with handling hard moments.
In Amina, and many popular chapter book series, humorous scenes can provide readers with an enjoyable reading experience, while also having important lessons woven in them as well.
The charm and impact of the Amina Banana books are aided so much by the stellar illustrations of Aaliya Jaleel. Can you tell us a little about how your collaboration with Aaliya works?
SSS: I completely agree, Aaliya is absolutely incredible. I worked with Aaliya before this series on a picture book, The Gift of Eid, and so when we confirmed her working on Amina, I was just thrilled!
Aaliya brings Amina’s character to life in her own unique way—often infusing delightful details in the images that I will completely be surprised by, and yet also completely make sense. One such detail is Amina’s tooth gap, which makes her so, so adorable, and was a total Aaliya decision that made me smile!
Aaliya’s art also infuses little humorous moments where Amina looks like she’s melting into the seat, for example, or little snowflakes running away. It always makes me marvel at how perfectly they fit the story and tone of each page, and I am so honored to continue to collaborate with her.
Fans of the series have much to look forward to: after the release of Amina Banana and the Formula for Making Money in January, the fourth book, Amina Banana and the Formula for Fairness, is expected in May. Can you give readers a little preview of what they can expect in the fourth installment of Amina’s story?
SSS: I love Amina Banana and the Formula for Fairness because it features a sort of frenemy struggle between Amina and her classmate, Tara. I think kids are going to enjoy going through the story and gasping at all the “drama,” as my own kids like to call it.
And I hope that by the end, after learning more about Tara, it provides an important lesson to readers too- that everyone has something going on in their life, even if we can’t see it. And I hope it models understanding, even between opposing personalities.
One of my favorite questions to ask children’s authors is about the books they loved when they were young. Are there any books or series from that time that still resonate with you as an adult?
SSS: Absolutely! I loved reading the Nancy Drew series, and had all the perfect yellow spines lined up on my bookshelf for me to read over and over. I still love reading mysteries until now, and am actually hoping to write mysteries as an author in the future too.
Another series I adored, even though it was a little younger than my age group, was Animorphs, a dramatic and fun-filled fantasy chapter book series by Katherine Applegate. I saw recently that the covers are being redone and immediately preordered, because I have a feeling this series is going to make for a great and fun read-aloud for my kids! I am still such a fantasy fan until now, and credit Animorphs for sparking my love for it.
Lastly, in honor of Amina Banana, what is your formula for a perfect day?
SSS: My formula for a perfect day is pretty boring but still very special to me: grab a good book + cuddle under a blanket + eat lots of chocolate + my kids being next to me listening to me read = my perfect day!
About Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Shifa Saltagi Safadi is the National Book Award-winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former ELA teacher, and is passionate about spreading a love of reading through storytimes and school visits. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.
An enormous thank you to Sharon for taking the time to talk about her work with us. Be sure to check out her website at ShifaSafadi.com, and be sure to check out the first three books in the Amina Banana series, on bookshelves now!
The Baby Bookworm 