Meet Dr. Sheila Kanani
It’s National Author’s Day and to celebrate we asked one of our favourite authors, Dr Sheila Kanani, a couple of questions.
As well as being a fantastic children’s author, Dr Kanani has a PHD in planetary science, teaches GCSE astronomy and gives public talks as part of her role as Education, Outreach and Diversity officer at the Royal Astronomical Society.
Her book, How to be an Astronaut, is included as part of our Bookmark Box which is given to schools when they start a face-to-face reading programme.
How did you get into writing books for children?
It’s funny, because I hadn’t ever set out to write children’s books but looking back I’ve always been interested in writing. I used to write stories and I’ve kept a journal since I was nine years old. So, writing has always been a really powerful part of my persona, I just never really realised I’d be able to do it as part of my job.
What inspired you to write about space?
I’ve always wanted to bring space to young people. Space is so exciting and so inspiring but there isn’t enough of it taught in school. I wanted to use the amazing-ness of space as a hook for my writing. Even into subjects that you wouldn’t expect. For instance in How to be an Astronaut, I wanted to show that you could work in the space industry and be an engineer or in communications or design space suits or be a space artist and draw artist impressions of planets outside of our solar system. I wanted to communicate that it isn’t just about science, that there are different role models and lots of different ways to be one thing.
Your new books are part of the Extraordinary Lives series for Puffin and you wrote about Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks and Michelle Obama. Did you learn anything new about these inspiring women while you were writing about them?
All three of them are amazing! Writing about them made me realise how as a society we still don’t learn enough about women’s achievements. For instance, Rosa Park’s activism for Black rights inspired Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jrn. Her protest on the bus was just the tip of the iceberg for her. Amelia Earhart didn’t just fly aeroplanes. She was a trained nurse, she had her own fashion line and she worked as a journalist. Michelle Obama really was the wind beneath the wings of President Obama’s campaign. She used her position as First Lady to inspire young people and charities. Her quotes from that time are amazing.
“I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong, so don’t be afraid” – Michelle Obama, in her final speech as First Lady.
What role does reading play in your life?
We’ve always been a very book heavy family, I have vivid memories of me and my sister sharing a book. She’d be reading the first half and I’d be reading the second half, practically at the same time.
Reading for pleasure as an adult is escapism. Especially this year, where it has been so strange. If you can’t leave your house, you can pick up a book and go anywhere. I’ve read some really profound books this year, almost accidentally, that have made me reassess the whole pandemic and have been very inspiring.
My son is 5 and we read together all the time, every day. I’m pregnant and when I read to him the baby kicks lots, it’s such a bonding exercise. Books are so underrated, especially these days when they’re competing with Netflix and computer games. I’ll always try and read paper books as well, my son likes to turn the pages and I like the feel and the smell.
How do you feel your reading skills have helped you get to where you are now?
It’s one of those things that you don’t realise the impact of until you meet people without the literacy skills that you have. Through my work, I’ve seen cases of children who are very interested in reading, but without support, they lose that interest. It’s such a shame because they are missing out on such a huge area of communication and as human beings, that’s the main thing that we have. The more people that can and want to read, the better for everyone.
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Dr Kanani has written five books, How to be an Astronaut, Space on Earth, and three of the Extraordinary Lives series for Puffin.
