On a special Saturday over Turkish coffee with a skeptical friend, Ms. Taibah’s “brain was working in a sweet way…[she] could eat it.” She remembered some of her old scanned illustrations and decided to draw some more and maybe, just maybe, she could create a book *WHOA.* Her friend laughed, “Make a book?” Taibah said “Fine. I’ll make a book.” Unfortunately, she sometimes finds her doodles in the trash and once in the kitchen garbage can. “MAMA WHY?!!!” Her lovely mother replied “Sorry baby, I thought it was just junk.” That’s when Ms. Taibah realized she must organize all of these penned thoughts and ideas. And although she named it Junk, to appropriately encompass all of the randomness; the result is a disorderly harmonious and composed piece of work.
The comical illustrations in Junk are visually striking, with a style that’s half political cartoon and half school-day doodles, but as the book progresses we gain more of an insight into what these little stories are trying to reveal. Her quirky little characters seem to be fed up with the frivolities and contradictions of their society and are attempting to live through the perplexities of modern life by questioning and attempts at understanding.It’s as if they’re caught between a supposedly ‘real’ but bizarre world and their own imaginary yet sensible one. Characters along the way include the Lonely Ice-Cream Cone, Octopus Girl and a thieving ninja. Ms. Taibah also reconciles these illustrated conflicts with musical lyrics brightly come to life, whimsically detailed food recipes and more of what truly holds all of this clutter together.
DESTINATION JEDDAH 35