Capturing Cayman’s heritage in a way that’s as appealing to adults as it is to children is a challenging undertaking.
But Lady Rabia, as the author is known, has seemingly done so with her popular Kaa Kaa & Tokyo series, the second in a series inspired by her love for her Caymanian heritage.
“I was an expat living overseas and I wanted my kids to know about their heritage,” says Rabia Abdul-Hakim, a Cayman Brac native and former Miss Teen Cayman who lived and worked for many years in Saudi Arabia.
She developed the highly entertaining books not only for the amusement and enjoyment of children (from age 6) and adults – capturing the Caymanian dialect and stories – but also as an educational tool.
The books are available in local libraries and bookstores, and she encourages teachers to use them in the classroom by providing a free online curriculum guide to use with the series, as well as other resources.
Meanwhile, Rabia has a houseful of fans – her six children. In addition, her books are popular with local residents and tourists, and Rabia sees a perfect tie-in for her stories, which she also illustrates with whimsical characters.
“So far the reception has been amazing,” she says, adding that readers really seem to respond to the charming characters and all of their amusing mishaps. “This is a more innovative way of doing ‘cultural tourism’, and a whole application of media and getting into children’s entertainment.”
To that end, she foresees branding the books’ characters into a whole range of areas, including animation, games, merchandising, T-shirts and more.
The books’ widespread appeal is also marketable in two genres: it is recognised as children’s humour and as historical fiction.
“The books appeal to adults and are great for educators, too,” she says, adding that the books “are perfect for reluctant readers.”
And this is only the beginning. Author Lady Rabia says she probably have 12 more books in this series and then move on to produce two more series designed around Cayman culture.
book reading and signing
Lady Rabia will be at Hobbies & Books from 11am to 2pm Friday and Saturday, 23 and 24 September, for book readings and signing. There will be fruit juice and cookies for the kids and lots of rhyming and laughter as the stories are read.
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