The importance of inclusive storytelling with Sharika Chauhan

At Bookmark, we have the privilege of working with many wonderful children’s authors who work hard to spark the joy of reading in children and promote inclusive storytelling. One such author is Sharika Chauhan, who shared a snippet of one of her debut children’s books: Maya’s Worldly Wonder series, in our upcoming Author Corner video series.

Sharika is dedicated to writing books that inspire and empower young readers, creating stories that celebrate diversity and encourage curiosity about the world.

We had the chance to speak to Sharika about her journey to becoming an author, the inspiration behind her fantastic books and her experience as a Bookmark Volunteer.

Sharika was inspired to become a children’s author after volunteering with Bookmark. She said her time as a reading volunteer exposed her to how challenging it must be for a struggling reader.

Because of this, she decided to delve into her creative side and pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an author. Sharika set out to write stories that could help ​“inspire the next generation and future generations, especially South Asian girls”.

She said, ​“life’s too short, I found my passion and I really want to write these books to inspire kids”.

The role of literacy in Sharika’s life

Growing up loving Enid Blyton adventure books, Sharika was a self-proclaimed bookworm who adored books about time travel and magical lands. She used books to learn English, having only spoken her mother tongue, Gujarati, in her early years.

Sharika used books to ​“pick up the language faster”, which helped her be successful in school and attain a flourishing career in finance.

Creating Maya’s Worldly Wonders

Sharika’s debut series, Maya’s Worldly Wonders, was inspired by her solo travels to over 40+ countries and desire to empower children to explore the world around them.

The concept for Sharika’s book series began, while she was travelling in Malaysia. She said: ​“I get some of the best ideas when I travel… [that’s why travelling] is the theme of Maya’s Worldly Wonders as a children’s travel adventure series”.

Through her books, Sharika aims to inspire children to ​“be brave, bold and make your own adventures” and highlights that ​“there is a lot about overcoming fears and lots of strong messaging in the books”. Each story is infused with messages of empowerment, resilience and curiosity about the world – something she said has been intriguing for children and adults.

The significance of a South Asian protagonist

Sharika’s decision to feature a South Asian protagonist stems from her personal experiences growing up. She said she struggled to relate to the characters in the books she loved, as there were very few Indian characters. She lacked a role model in children’s literature.

By creating Maya, a strong South Asian heroine, Sharika aims to provide children with diverse, relatable characters that resonate with their own cultural experiences – an important element of inclusive storytelling.

Studies show that diversity in books is important because it helps readers understand the world in a more complex way. This helps children to develop empathy, build healthy relationships and be more accepting of people from different backgrounds – they can become more adaptable and open minded.

Sharika acknowledges the broader importance of diversity, highlighting that brown authors are often underrepresented in the book and author industry – something she’s keen to change.

She said there’s ​“still a long way to go” but has noticed the sector becoming more inclusive. As an author with Indian heritage, she hopes her work will pave the way for more diverse voices to be represented in children’s literature.

Sharika’s experience as a Bookmark Volunteer

As a passionate reader, Sharika found her voluntary role at Bookmark particularly meaningful. She described her experience as rewarding and fulfilling, highlighting the importance of volunteering with young children because of the large impact it has on their lives.

“As a kid you don’t know what will affect you, so [as a volunteer] to be part of such an early, crucial age, is important. [Volunteering] is also a liberating experience and it makes you feel good. Take a step out of your day, do something a little bit different… you don’t know what it’s going to be like for your own personal growth”.

The importance of reading in today’s society

For Sharika, being able to read is essential to be an effective communicator and helps you to develop essential skills that are transferable to all areas of life.

She also highlighted that reading from a young age can help to spark ​“so many little ideas subconsciously and consciously and that’s super important from a creative perspective”.

Through her volunteering at Bookmark and now her work as a children’s author, Sharika hope to continue to promote the importance of literacy and inspire young readers to discover the magic of books and foster a lifelong love for reading

Follow Sharika’s writing journey and Maya’s adventures on her socials:

Instagram: @mayas.worldly.wonders

TikTok: @mayas.worldly.wonders

Facebook: @Maya’s Worldly Wonders