ِAbout
My name is Fatima Sharafeddine, but people around me like to call me by other nicknames, among them Foufou, Foushara, Foufoulmalfoufou, Fanka… OK, I’ll stop here.
At school, I excelled at the high jump during gym class, and at writing short essays and stories in Arabic class.
I was not aware at the time that when I grew up, I would jump high, not over a rope stretched between two poles, but between the words, lines and stories I write for children.
How do I create my stories? In the morning, I pour myself a cup of green tea, then I put my imagination, my ideas and my feelings into the mixer inside my head… and I press the button! My words are squeezed and kneaded, they go round and round, up and down, until a children’s story comes out. To this day, the mixer has produced 165 books, some of which have been translated into many languages, and some of which have won awards.
What do I do with all these books? I put them in a big pouch, carry them to schools and libraries, and read them to children. I also take my pouch of books to many countries around the world, show them to people, and read the stories to whoever is interested. I also go to conferences and talk about the mixer and how it works. And I give trainings and workshops to people who want to learn how to turn on their own mixers and create their own stories for children.
When I am not writing, I go out with friends, visit my parents, cook for my children and bake them cakes, watch a movie, or turn on the music and dance.
Things I like: a bird that visits my balcony, a soft perfume, a gift from someone I love.
Things I don’t like: a dried-up pen when I really need one, and snoring!
To get to know me and my books better, all you need to do is press a few buttons on this website