By Abeer Khan
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – Anthony Tassa, professor and performing arts coordinator at American University of Sharjah, spent part of the pandemic-limited 2020 co-authoring a children’s book with his 6-year-old daughter, Natasha.
Published independently in July, The Adventures of Bobo-Jack is based on stories Tassa told to Natasha since she was little. As she grew older, she provided input to help develop the stories.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo utilized their time indoors in Slovakia, where the family has a home, by working on the story. Tassa and his daughter had also “drawing parties” to provide the story’s illustrations.
According to Tassa, working on the book was an effective way to break away from online engagements and spend time together.
“The characters came from telling a story to a 6-year-old,” said Tassa. “Children want magic, fantasy, witches, animals, giants and princesses.”
He added the names for the characters were “Slovak-inspired.”
Tassa and his daughter have begun work on a second volume about Bobo-Jack.
