7-year-old publishes first book, promises more

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Jesse Ramdeo

Tariq Baig is proving age is just a number. At only seven years old, he has written and published his own book which focuses on a message for both the young and not so young.

Decked off in a pinstriped shirt, black pants and bow tie yesterday, the Standard One Avocat Vedic Primary school pupil was beaming with joy and flashing smiles beneath his face mask during his book launch at Nigel R Khan Booksellers.

Tariq, an aspiring pilot, does not only have a knack for reading but writing as well and may have steered off course in pursuit of his dreams, as he recently spilt his creative juices into “The Naughty Dragon,” which he penned during these unprecedented times.

According to him, the concept came about one day during virtual class.

“I was inspired by my teacher Ms Priya when we were learning about fantasy and fiction, that was when the idea came to me.”

His book tracks the adventures of a mischievous creature and doles out a key lesson as well. He said it was very important that readers are able to understand the message within the pages of his publication.

“The moral is important because it teaches you something … and what does it teach you? Not to destroy anything that does not belong to you,” he said.

Tariq explained that during his downtime, he would jot down ideas on his mother’s laptop and while he did most of the work, it was her eyes that proofread his final piece.

Store manager Vena Mohammed said the young author’s journey was an inspiration to others.

“I think it’s awesome to see a child at that age, seven years, writing a book and it has so much meaning in it and he used his time in this pandemic and I think many children will learn a lot from the meaning and messages in the book.”

Tariq already has his sights set on publishing another book, a second instalment to “The Naughty Dragon,” and hopes to have it published before his 8th birthday.