ASU freshman Selena Morse shared excerpts from her new children’s book Friday.
“Tariq couldn’t help but think everything stood in the way of their family arriving,” read Morse. “His heart sank in surveying the handful of boxes and bags filled with the remaining clothes food and keepsakes.”
“Dear Tariq” is a story of compassion, humanity and a friendship formed between two boys living very different lives.
“One of them living very affluently in the U.S., while one of them is living through the conflict in Syria,” said Morse. “For the one boy in the U.S., he learns about what many children like Tariq are going through and develops empathy for them and their situation and decides he wants to help make a difference.”
"Dear Tariq" is inspired by Alex Myteberi and the letter he sent to President Obama back in 2016 asking him to bring a bloodied Syrian boy he’d seen on TV to his home to join his family. Offering to be his brother, teach him to ride bikes and do arithmetic.
The passionate plea led to the six-year-old meeting the President and his letter being read in front of world leaders during talks about the global refugee crisis.
“That’s what we decided to base this story off of because we realized that there are kids out there who want to make a difference but don’t know how to,” said Morse.
Morse and her co-author Geo Chen wrote the story over a two-year period. They hired a young Syrian artist to bring the pages to life.
“I realized that her authentic perspective really elevated the story and brought such a genuine, young, raw perspective,” said Morse.
She hopes through this book, children can have a better understanding of the struggles facing refugees and empower them to make a difference. Something Morse says continues to guide her own journey.
“With work with advocacy and activism, it is never something that’s fully accomplished, it’s something you’re always working towards,” said Morse.
“Dear Tariq" is now available to purchase on Amazon.