Rukhsana Khan
Encyclopedia
Rukhsana Khan is an award-winning Pakistani Canadian
children's author, writer, and storyteller whose "stories have enabled children of all cultures to connect with cultures of Eastern origins."
, Pakistan in 1962. She immigrated to Canada with her family when she was three years old and grew up in Dundas, Ontario
. She graduated from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology and became a biological-chemical technician. She has four children and lives with her husband in Toronto
Canada.
Khan's writing career began by writing songs for Adam's World children's videos. Her stories have appeared in Message International and Kahani magazines. Her award-winning books for children include picture books, short story collections, and novels. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
, The Writers Union of Canada, CANSCAIP and Storytelling Toronto. Khan is also a member of the International Storytelling Network.
Khan is a "well-known Canadian children’s author who focuses on telling tales of diversity."
Her books have been translated into several languages, including Italian and Japanese. She presented a speech titled "Freedom of Speech Versus Cultural Sensitivity: Balancing the Right to Create Freely vs. the Need of People to be Respected" at the 2008 IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) World Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Pakistani Canadian
- History in Canada :People from the region that would become Pakistan were among the pioneers who migrated from British India to British Columbia at the turn of the century. By 1905, as many as 200 participated in the building of that first community from modern-day Pakistan, which for a time had...
children's author, writer, and storyteller whose "stories have enabled children of all cultures to connect with cultures of Eastern origins."
Biography
Rukhsana Khan was born in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Pakistan in 1962. She immigrated to Canada with her family when she was three years old and grew up in Dundas, Ontario
Dundas, Ontario
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...
. She graduated from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology and became a biological-chemical technician. She has four children and lives with her husband in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
Canada.
Khan's writing career began by writing songs for Adam's World children's videos. Her stories have appeared in Message International and Kahani magazines. Her award-winning books for children include picture books, short story collections, and novels. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is a nonprofit, 5013 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.The...
, The Writers Union of Canada, CANSCAIP and Storytelling Toronto. Khan is also a member of the International Storytelling Network.
Khan is a "well-known Canadian children’s author who focuses on telling tales of diversity."
Her books have been translated into several languages, including Italian and Japanese. She presented a speech titled "Freedom of Speech Versus Cultural Sensitivity: Balancing the Right to Create Freely vs. the Need of People to be Respected" at the 2008 IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) World Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Awards
- Big Red Lollipop won the 2011 Golden Kite AwardGolden Kite AwardThe Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators to recognize excellence in children’s literature. Instituted in 1972, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers...
for picture book text. - Big Red Lollipop won the 2011 Charlotte Zolotow AwardCharlotte Zolotow AwardThe Charlotte Zolotow Award is an American literary award presented annually for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States in the preceding year. By contrast, the Caldecott Medal is for outstanding illustration in a picture book...
. - Wanting Mor was recognized as a Notable Book for a Global Society by the International Reading AssociationInternational Reading AssociationThe International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
in 2010
Picture Books
- Big Red Lollipop (2010)
- Silly Chicken (2005)
- Ruler of the Courtyard (2003)
- King of the Skies (2001)
- The Roses in My Carpets (1998)
- Bedtime Ba-a-a-lk (1998)
Novels
- Wanting Mor (2009)
- Dahling, If You Luv Me Would You Please, Please Smile (1999)
Short Stories
- A New Life (2009)
- Many Windows co-authored with Elisa Carbone and Uma KrishnaswamiUma KrishnaswamiUma Krishnaswami is an author of picture books and novels for children, and a writing teacher. She is “recognized as a major voice in the expanding of international and multicultural young adult fiction and children’s literature.”-Biography:...
(2008) - Muslim Child (1999)
Interviews
- Coughlan, Marjorie. “Interview with Rukhsana Khan.” Paper Tigers.org, A Pacific Rim Voices Project. December 2009.
- Blevis, Mark. "Interview with Rukhsana Khan." Just One More Book. September 29, 2009.
- Bowllan, Amy. "Writers Against Racism: Rukhsana Khan." Bowllan's Blog. School Library Journal. September 2, 2009.
- Siddiqui, Tabassum. "Rukhsana Khan: Tales of Diversity." Quill and Quire. September 2008.
- Jenkinson, Dave. "Rukhsana Khan." Canadian Review of Materials. CM Magazine. September 24, 1999.
External links
- http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n98-10475|Works by Rukhsana Khan in libraries (WorldCatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
catalog) ] - Rukhsana Khan's blog