Meet Dubai-based author Julia Johnson

A creative soul

If you don’t know her name, you will surely recognise her books. Here’s how Julia Johnson became Dubai’s best-loved children’s author

Children’s author Julia Johnson needs no introduction. With more than 20 children’s books under her belt, her name is synonymous with classics such as Humpy Grumpy Camel and The Pearl Diver, titles that have become an integral part of the UAE school curriculum. Lesser known is that Johnson trained as a teacher in the UK before moving to Dubai in 1975 (with a stint back home from 1989- 2001) and that she regularly visits primary schools to conduct drama workshops with students.

“For the younger children, I use puppets to represent my characters, such as the Humpy Grumpy Camel,” Johnson explains. “To tell the story of my new book, Lizard and Toad, I have lizard and toad characters and I sometimes use video clips or a PowerPoint to explain things. I have some atmospheric film footage of pearl diving, for instance.”

Johnson was 24 when she moved to Dubai with her husband. One of her first jobs was reading bedtime stories for children on the radio. She also narrated spooky stories for adults for a radio slot called ‘listen if you dare’. Later, she was asked to read stories live on television. She was soon asked to write book reviews for a local newspaper and then articles for Emirates Woman and Time Out. The first site Johnson visited back then was the Dubai Museum. “I was fascinated by the history of pearl diving in the area and that

< Children's author Julia Johnson during one of her drama workshops with children (above) at the Emirates Festival of Literature in February

inspired my first book. It happened by accident,” Johnson remembers. “I started collecting historical artefacts after that.” It was Magrudy’s bookshop founder Isobel Abulhoul who recommended a publisher; Pearl Diver was released in 2003. “As a child I loved dressing up and acting,” she says. “Although I was quite shy in many ways, I always felt at home on the stage. One of the first roles I played at school was Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and although I was nervous I enjoyed every minute. It was exciting being ‘inside’ a story. My first passion was drama and I went on to study it at college when I trained as a teacher.” Nothing has surprised her more than the adoption by schools of her books into their curriculum. “I was surprised but also delighted,” Johnson exclaims. “I didn’t expect my books to be used so widely. In fact, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) have issued large quantities of several of my titles to their schools. It’s wonderful as I now feel that my stories have a role and are thought-provoking.”

Johnson loves animals and nature and credits her mother for this. She says that growing up in the UK, she and her sister Melissa always had lots of pets, and her mother adopted creatures that needed a home all her life. She had a sheep, a crow that couldn’t fly and an old donkey among other wild and wonderful creatures. “Animals often come into my stories and I think stories can help to highlight environmental problems, raise awareness and make people think,” she says. Johnson’s book The Leopard Boy did exactly this, depicting the Arabian Leopard, which is on the brink of extinction. Her workshop at the recent Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (for kids aged 8-11 years) focused on how to become our future selves, escaping from a fire (inspired by the tragic events in Australia), and inventing things to help combat future disasters. She is an advocate of not ‘talking down’ to children. “I use larger words in context so that the meaning is obvious,” she says. “How will they learn otherwise?” How important is it to foster creativity in children? “I think

Julia Johnson remembers Dubai in 1975

“Dubai was so small when I arrived. There was a big swath of nothing between Jumeirah and Jebel Ali and the population was only 200,000. There were no flyovers, no grand hotels and no malls. The first five-star hotel was the Intercon, now the Radisson Blu on the Creek. There were only a couple of restaurants and they were really expensive, so people hosted wonderful dinner parties at home instead. Social clubs and drama groups were very active. I was involved in five plays in my first year here! I loved it. There was no fencing-in the desert and camels used to roam into our back garden. There were miles upon miles of unspoiled beaches and fishing villages. The Trade Centre was the tallest building.”

youngsters have a natural imagination, but it also needs to be encouraged. Screen time can interfere with it. It’s important for parents and children to read together and to tell stories.”

These days, in her mid-60s, Johnson is a grandmother of five, aged from newborn to 18 years. Her daughter now illustrates some of her books. She has recorded more than 100 audio books. Johnson plans to write her first play. It appears she has no intention of slowing down. What good news that is.

Julia Johnson visits primary schools to conduct author workshops for children aged 4-12 years. In these workshops, Johnson introduces her characters and stories, tackles environmental themes and explores UAE traditions and cultures in a fun way. For more, email Julia at jj_bj51@eim.ae

Dreams of a sustainable world

For the first time, the Gulf region will take part in a global writing initiative to draw attention to children’s rights and sustainability, under the patronage of UNESCO

Voices of Future Generations is a unique writing initiative under the patronage of UNESCO, created to promote the UN Convention on the ‘Rights of the Child’ and Sustainability through the creation of adventure stories written by young children. The programme has been developed to give children a voice about their hopes, dreams and aspirations for a sustainable future – all through the written word. Since its global launch in 2014, 12 books (one anthology of eight stories and 11 individual books) have been published globally. This year, the Gulf region will take part for the first time, welcoming story submissions in both Arabic and English. The Emirates Literature Foundation is the consultant for the initiative. Winners will have the chance to join a global council of prize-winning child authors and have their work featured online and in inspirational books that will be sent to schools and libraries throughout the world.

What is Voices of Future Generations?

It’s a writing competition that is looking for original and imaginative adventure stories that draw attention to children’s rights and sustainability. The focus is on creativity and imagination, with stories focused on characters that overcome something, as all good adventure tales do.

Successful stories will include: y A clear sustainable theme y Strong character development y A good plot

The competition is open to all children aged 8-12 years old, whether in private education, government schools or homeschooled. Stories can be submitted by students, parents and teachers, and submission is free of charge. Submissions are open until 25 April.

For more information, visit: www.elfdubai.org/en/vofg

Who is Isobel Abulhoul?

- Isobel Abulhoul came to Dubai in 1968 and co-founded bookshop chain Magrudy’s in 1975.

- In 2008, Isobel founded the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Abulhoul is also CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation.

- In 2019, Isobel was named one of the 100 Inspiring Leaders in the GCC by Arabian Business magazine.

A word from Isobel Abulhoul

What advice do you have for parents whose children are submitting competition entries? Encourage children to think about the future they want to see. Encouraging them to visualise a more sustainable world through their imagination and adventurous spirit is a brilliant starting point for changing the world. Also, look at some of the child’s favourite stories and try to identify why they like it and learn about story building that way.

How many adults will be taking part in each workshop? For the teacher and parent workshops, we have been running workshops for up to 30 people. Children’s workshops function better in smaller groups so we host no more than 20 children at a time.

What approach will educators take in the workshops? Workshops for teachers and parents focus on tips for creative writing as well as on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and children’s rights. Children’s workshops focus on story building and we invite children to come and practice their writing in the lead up to the submission deadline date.

What tips can you give to young writers? I think it’s important for children, their parents and teachers to focus on how to tell a good story. It often starts with an idea, a character and then a journey. The most important tip is to be creative and write; the more a child writes down their ideas and becomes familiar with how to use words to set a scene, the better their written work will become.

What advice do you have for those submitting? A good place to start is to think of a Sustainable Development Goal that means something to the writer. There are 17 of them, so plenty to choose from. Then brainstorm how to create an adventure story that illustrates that goal, before they begin writing.

VOFG story guidelines Stories should be aimed at readers aged six years and above and be 1,200- 1,500 words long. They should be written from a child’s point of view or be about an adventure that a child character experiences. They should feature themes of children’s rights and sustainable development, as well as the writer’s vision for a sustainable future.

Writing workshops Writing workshops for parents, teachers and children are hosted by The Emirates Literature Foundation to give guidance on character development and the type of stories that are likely to be shortlisted.

Email vofg@emirateslitfest.com for the full schedule.

Below: Winning child authors from the 2019 VOFG global competition: Diwa Boateng, The Forward and Backward City; Lupe Vaai, The Voice of an Island (top); Jona David, The Epic Eco- inventions; Tyronah Sioni, The Visible Girls