I want stories about naughty children who get into trouble and do bad things. She and others in the field argue that there is very little contemporary children's literature in Arabic of value.
Every story has to have a lesson.
In Arabic children's literature, Al Kholi mourns, there is no nonsense prose, no made-up words or silly rhymes. It's just all too risky. There are too many hangups, too many inhibitions. Hasna Mekdashi, who worked in children's publishing for 17 years, agrees that nobody's offering anything new or creative. Religious books for children sell.