Fatima Khazi is excited for the weekend. Her family is headed to a local state park for their first camping trip! The school week might not have gone as planned, but outdoors, Fatima can achieve anything. She sets up a tent with her father, builds a fire with her mother, and survives an eight-legged mutant spider (a daddy longlegs with an impressive shadow) with her sister. At the end of an adventurous day, the family snuggles inside one big tent, serenaded by the sounds of the forest. The thought of leaving the magic of the outdoors tugs at Fatima’s heart, but her sister reminds her that they can keep the memory alive through stories–and they can always daydream about what their next camping trip will look like. Ambreen Tariq’s picture book debut, with cheerful illustrations by Stevie Lewis, is a rollicking family adventure, a love letter to the outdoors, and a reminder that public land belongs to all of us (Source).
Author(s): Ambreen Tariq & Stevie Lewis
Ambreen Tariq is the author of “Fatima’s Great Outdoors” and founder of @BrownPeopleCamping, which she launched in August 2016 in celebration of the National Park Service’s centennial. Ambreen utilizes storytelling to share how her life experiences as a Muslim, South-Asian American immigrant female have shaped her love for the outdoors; to reflect more openly on the role privilege plays in enabling us to enjoy the outdoors; and to promote more passionately for everyone to experience and enjoy the outdoors in their own authentic ways. She strives to achieve these goals in order to help grow our community of people who, having developed personal connections to the environment, will feel invested in protecting it and advocating for its future wellbeing. Ambreen is a non-practicing attorney who works for the federal government in Washington, DC; she runs @BrownPeopleCamping outside of her day job. Through @BrownPeopleCamping, Ambreen has collaborated with various partners in government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private industry to promote diversity in the outdoors. She has been a Brand Ambassador for Merrell, LL Bean, Airstream and REI, and was celebrated as a BIPOC Outdoor Influencer by Matador Network. She is also the co-founder of Outdoor Muslims, sits on the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and an advisory council member of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors For All campaign (Source).
Stevie Lewis loves to travel while furthering her passion for art & the outdoors. She is also enjoys lifting weights, hiking, going to farmer’s markets, and spending time with her partner and two dogs. In addition to working in animation, she also illustrates children’s books including the recent I am Thinking My Life by Allysun Atwater, and We Are Better Together by environmentalist Bill McKibben (Source).