Ambreen Tariq’s New Children’s Book Fatima’s Great Outdoors

An immigrant family embarks on their first camping trip in the Midwest in this lively picture book by Ambreen Tariq, outdoors activist and founder of Brown People Camping. Fatima’s Great Outdoors will be available on March 30. The must-have new book for 2021 is illustrated by Stevie Lewis.

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Tariq learned to camp with her family in Minnesota after they emigrated to the U.S.A. from India. In an interview with ABC News here, she said, “The future of our country is more and more diverse, … we’re going to have more people of color in this country than white people, but our parks, our green spaces, our conservation spaces, those demographics are remaining white. What does that mean for the future of our land, for environmentalism? We need everyone to experience and then love the land so that they will stay and fight. So you think the parks are at risk? Absolutely. The parks are at risk, just like every other natural resource in this country. Land, water, air. These are resources to be preserved. And it not just takes money. It takes people fighting for it… When I was a child, I felt like an outsider trying to gain entrance, except now I am American and this is my country,”

About Fatima’s Great Outdoors: 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.

Fatima’s Great Outdoors is the perfect book for families looking to get their kids excited about exploring the outdoors. According to Civic Science, due to the ongoing pandemic, 15 per cent of Americans plan to hike and camp more in the coming months in order to avoid activities that require large groups or gathering indoors.