Amir Diop’s first children’s book, “Lionel the lying lion,” is the kind of book he always wanted to read when he was a kid. Written and illustrated by the author, the book also features an augmented reality (AR) component, which means young readers can either read the book themselves or scan the book’s code and, as they turn the book’s pages, the book will be read to them as its illustrations come to life.
Diop was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child and remembers having to get private tutoring at school and at home to help him deal with the learning disability. His mother was adamant about helping him get his work done; she would make him sit down and have him constantly go over his work until he got it right. “That repetition, it taught me how to do things repetitively, including with this book in general. I had to repaint the book several times and recreate and recreate the imagery. I recreated words and recreated everything more than three or four times because I wanted it to be right.”
The interactive book, “Lionel the lying lion,” allows young readers to both read and experience the story of Lionel, a mischievous lion cub who tells what he thinks are harmless fibs until he realizes that lying can lead to dire consequences.
“So, why I thought of this book was to actually just try to help children be able to see a visual of what’s going on while they read, as well as hearing the audio in their ears. I remember, growing up, that the way that I was able to comprehend and really get to learn with words was by listening to audiobooks and sometimes watching the movies that were maybe tied to a book. When I did that, that would help me comprehend. But I was always like, why don’t all books just come with that. That was one of the things that, you know, never existed when I was a kid.
“So, when I found out about AR, that was like a no-brainer that it would be a good animating tool to help kids read.”
Born and raised in New York City, Amir Diop moved with his family to Long Island by the age of 12. He started attending the Waldorf School of Garden City and though there weren’t a lot of Black kids in the school, he says he did not really encounter much racism. Instead, he was bullied and teased about his artwork and reading abilities.
But Diop says he used any attempts by his classmates to belittle him as challenges: “I made myself use those things to actually build me up as a person and follow the path that I wanted to go towards. It’s actually what inspired me to paint my illustrations,” he says.
The book’s illustrations are made with unique artwork and Diop hand drew every page. They were constructed with the patterning and layering of paint, backwards lettering, squiggly lines, and small, minute dots of what he calls dyslexic text. He says he’s perfected a style which he calls “Neo Savage.”
Diop has been to 25 different schools to read “Lionel the lying lion” to children since the book’s publication this past July. The book presentations include a reading and an art class for children. After his presentations, Diop says he encourages the school to get copies of the book for each child so that they can take the book home and experience it for themselves.
To contact Amir Diop about his book, email DiopstudiosLLC@gmail.com