Dr. Amina Yaqoob is a woman of many talents. A plant biotechnologist by trade, she has spent the past few years working as a research associate at the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology in Punjab, Pakistan. But it was the onset of the pandemic that led to another passion — writing and illustrating children’s stories. In 2022, she founded Morality Tales, a book series specializing in personalized storybooks for children. Yaqoob’s books teach young readers valuable life lessons on topics such as honesty, kindness, and respect.

Dr. Yaqoob brings all of her passions to bear in her work, creating stories that are not only educational but also visually beautiful. With her unique blend of creativity and knowledge, she is quickly establishing herself as a significantly recognized name in diverse children’s literature. Creating opportunities to learn and grow is important to her, both professionally and personally. In everything she does, Dr. Yaqoob puts her heart into it — whether it’s writing a new story or illustrating for her clients.

In this interview, Dr. Yaqoob shares her inspiration to become an author and the magic in her passion for illustrating and writing.

Tell me a little about yourself.

My name is Dr. Amina Yaqoob, and I am from Pakistan. I have a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology and defended my dissertation in 2021. I’ve served as a Research Associate at the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) at the University of Punjab for the past few years. I am a founder of Morality Tales, a private company developing children’s story books and customized books. I am a story writer and Illustrator. I love traveling, canvas painting, sketching, cooking, digital drawings, and gardening.

What inspired you to become an author?

I never imagined this proper transition of my profession from a researcher to a children’s book author and illustrator. Since my childhood, I have been telling and writing children’s stories in my native language Urdu, but I couldn’t find the opportunity of publishing my story books. After finishing high school, I got busy with my studies so much that the creative story writer inside me went behind the scenes. During the Pandemic, I luckily found time to polish my skill in digital art and vector illustrations. I started freelancing to create children’s storybooks on educational, fiction, affirmation, and fantasy topics, so I started to think about creating my own storybooks for children.

Can you share what you are currently working on?

Yeah, sure. I am working on an interesting book series, “Minah, the Supergirl,” and launched the first book of this series entitled “Finding out my Superpowers” this month (November).

Further details: https://iamdrpgurley.medium.com/dr-amina-yaqoob-from-illustrator-to-authoring-a-childrens-books-series-on-morality-4d9e6cafe573