– Gayanga Dissanayaka
When it comes to children’s books replete with fantasy, imagination and morals, writers find themselves having to maintain a certain balance between magic and reality that needs to be expertly incorporated into the stories, such that children of all walks of life would be able to relate to and understand.
In Charminstar Wijeratne’s debut children’s short story collection titled “Who’s the Thief? And other stories” the writer has managed to capture that exact style and method whilst retaining the real-life morals and values that she has skillfully portrayed through her exciting storylines and beautifully crafted characters.
Based around the concept of a “Jungle School,” Chaminstar draws inspiration from her personal experiences in working with children as an early childhood teacher at Gateway college. “Since I’m always working with children, I thought, what if I write to them as well? I wanted children to develop qualities outside of formal education that would help them navigate their way when they go out into the world,” said Charmistar.
She strongly believes that encouraging children to read from a young age will gift them the much-needed power of imagination. Charminstar also has a fond recollection of how reading played a significant role in nourishing her imaginative and storytelling abilities from her own early years through some of her favourite authors such as Enid Blyton and stories such as The Adventures of TinTin. She recalls always carrying a book in her hand wherever she went and how the stories she immersed herself in during her childhood gave her the confidence and foundation to cultivate her creative skills. The author believes that this is a quality that should be fostered more often among young children today.
Charminstar explained how she uses the concepts of imagination and creativity extensively in her career as a teacher as well. “Hector the Giraffe,” whom we come across in her book, is one such character whom she created to act out stories and teach morals effectively to her young students. “I tell my students the story of how Hector stretched his neck too much to copy all because he was too lazy to study, and that is how all the giraffes got long necks.”
Charminstar used to work in the corporate sector but decided to be a full-time parent once she had children of her own. “I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with my own mother when I was young and I myself truly believe in the importance of it.” The author stressed on how the guidance, support and love that is shown to a child in his/her formative years has a profound impact on their values and beliefs.
The author incorporates jungles and animals into her book since these concepts have the ability to spark excitement and ignite the imagination of children, thus creating a sense of wonder and adventure that captivates their young hearts. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for the writer to educate children about different species of animals like the Koel bird and the Sudu Redi Hora through such fascinating stories.
“Animals can be mischievous, just like playful children, and most of my stories come from real life incidents and experiences I have observed when working with children. We can creatively make our children aware of their mistakes and teach them what’s right and wrong through approaches like these without making them feel bad or hurtful,” the author explained. She also mentioned how children have an innate affinity to nature and are naturally drawn towards animals and the environment. Therefore, the author believes that basing her stories around a jungle school helps foster that love, kindness and connection with nature as well.
Charminstar brings forth qualities such as friendship, honesty, understanding, love and forgiveness in her book and believes that these qualities would encourage children to build their confidence and independence from a young age. Through inspiring characters such as “Elephanty” and “Foxy”, the author presents various personalities and aspects of the universal child. “Children should know that it’s okay to be different, that it’s okay to talk about your feelings and emotions, that we should support those in need and the importance of maintaining unity among each other. I have tried to encapsulate these morals into my stories, because those are the qualities that would help our children weather the storms of their future” Charminstar highlighted.
Charminstar’s literary history has its roots in her teenage years when she used to submit numerous poetry and short stories to the local newspaper as a student. She recalls how her uncle’s encouragement and appreciation of her work propelled her to believe in herself and develop her confidence as a creative writer. “Having an influential adult like him who impacted my life positively meant a lot to me as a child. He is no longer among us but he was the reason I continued writing and I owe my thanks for the confidence he cultivated in me.”
Charminstar explained that all her ideas came to her randomly while she’s working or travelling and had a tough time completing the stories as she grappled with time and work. She recalled how she would jot down her ideas, email them to herself and work on the stories later when she found the opportunity. Her muse were the children she worked with. “To me, every child had something unique about them. All of them were special to me and had their own story to tell.” The author therefore made sure that her stories included this diversity and presented morals to children such as never comparing themselves with others because they can all contribute to society in their own ways.
Charminstar encourages other writers like her to take the step forward to create more inspiring literature for children since education goes beyond academics and grades. “Children brought up with positive values can change the world. Only with the proper foundation, a building would be solid. The same can be said for children. If we take steps to lay a strong foundation, we can build a stabilised future for them.”
Charminstar finds joy and fulfilment in the presence of children. Even as a child herself, the concept of childhood is something she always treasured and loved. “My career with children makes me feel wholesome and satisfied and they are the sole reason for me to publish my stories as well. It’s my sincere hope that my book will be received well by all the incredible children out there.” Charminstar wants her book to serve as a guiding light that would lead youngsters towards a future that is not only beautiful but also filled with kindness, unity and confidence.