Dr. Amina Yaqoob: From Illustrator to Authoring a Children’s Books Series on Morality
Dr. Amina Yaqoob is a woman of many talents. A plant biotechnologist by trade, she has spent the past few years working as a research associate at the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology in Punjab, Pakistan. But it was the onset of the pandemic that led to another passion — writing and illustrating children’s stories. In 2022, she founded Morality Tales, a book series specializing in personalized storybooks for children. Yaqoob’s books teach young readers valuable life lessons on topics such as honesty, kindness, and respect.
Dr. Yaqoob brings all of her passions to bear in her work, creating stories that are not only educational but also visually beautiful. With her unique blend of creativity and knowledge, she is quickly establishing herself as a significantly recognized name in diverse children’s literature. Creating opportunities to learn and grow is important to her, both professionally and personally. In everything she does, Dr. Yaqoob puts her heart into it — whether it’s writing a new story or illustrating for her clients.
In this interview, Dr. Yaqoob shares her inspiration to become an author and the magic in her passion for illustrating and writing.
Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Dr. Amina Yaqoob, and I am from Pakistan. I have a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology and defended my dissertation in 2021. I’ve served as a Research Associate at the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) at the University of Punjab for the past few years. I am a founder of Morality Tales, a private company developing children’s story books and customized books. I am a story writer and Illustrator. I love traveling, canvas painting, sketching, cooking, digital drawings, and gardening.
What inspired you to become an author?
I never imagined this proper transition of my profession from a researcher to a children’s book author and illustrator. Since my childhood, I have been telling and writing children’s stories in my native language Urdu, but I couldn’t find the opportunity of publishing my story books. After finishing high school, I got busy with my studies so much that the creative story writer inside me went behind the scenes. During the Pandemic, I luckily found time to polish my skill in digital art and vector illustrations. I started freelancing to create children’s storybooks on educational, fiction, affirmation, and fantasy topics, so I started to think about creating my own storybooks for children.
Can you share what you are currently working on?
Yeah, sure. I am working on an interesting book series, “Minah, the Supergirl,” and launched the first book of this series entitled “Finding out my Superpowers” this month (November).
Tell us about your first published book. What was the journey like?
I wrote my first book in 2019 and published it in 2020. It was an unforgettable experience finally publishing my own children’s book. Although I’ve illustrated more than 400 children’s story books for my clients, it was the first time I wrote and illustrated my own book. It was a short descriptive story about the journey of a cotton plant from the field to the closet. I published that book for my nieces, nephews, friends, and family. It was fun, and everyone loved that booklet.
What is the significance of the title(s)?
The title matters a lot while writing a story. A good title should be brief and attractive. The titles of all the books in “Minah, the Supergirl” series are kept easy and short for the quick understanding of young readers. Each title explains the concept of the inside story.
What is the key theme and/or message in the book?
My plan is to create five story books for the “Minah, the Supergirl” series. I would like to share the core concept of this series, which is the power of moral values and being a mindful person. The storybooks of this series are totally different from the traditional stories of superheroes, flashlights, fantasy worlds, or imaginary superpowers. Instead, these stories will be based on the real-life events of a child named Minah, who will be finding out her superpowers one by one, and finally come up with the conclusion that “any child can be a superhero.” These storybooks will actually teach your child how to get transformed from ordinary to extraordinary by doing superheroic actions. I must say, if your child is a superhero fan, please buy him the books of “Minah, the Superhero” rather than buying a superhero costume or mask.
How can people connect with you, find your books, etc.?
People can connect with me at the official website Moralitytales.com and on social media and email addresses there.
Instagram: moralitytalesbyamina
Twitter handle: @MoralityTales
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087593566661
Email: aminayaqoob786@yahoo.com, aminayaqoob13@yahoo.com
Those interested in illustration services can contact me via Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/users/aminayaqoob429/seller_dashboard.
