By Sue-Ann Wayow

A British tourist was bitten by a bull shark while bathing in Tobago waters last April.

Peter Smith, 64, received critical care after sustaining serious injuries to his left arm, left leg and stomach with his incident being published in the local and international media.

A $10,000 bounty that was placed on the shark’s head by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) was retracted.  It was this incident that served as inspiration to Miranda Dookran to write a storybook about sharks.

Dookran who lives in Caroni was on vacation abroad when she learnt of the incident and followed the story religiously.  She said she also learnt that a possible  reason why sharks were prevalent in that particular area at the time – Turtle Beach was because some turtle eggs were allegedly destroyed during an excavation process and the smell of blood attracted the sharks.

Dookran told AZP News in a recent interview, “I realised that there were not many story books about sharks, let me do a story about sharks and promote Tobago in the process because there are not many children’s story books on Tobago.”

And so “Tommy the Shark” was born.

The book’s summary states, “In this enchanting story, Tommy the Shark in a quest to find his mother, goes on an adventure of beautiful Tobago. Tommy discovers lovely beaches and several sea creatures along the way. Tommy wants to be accepted for who he is and would like people to recognise that he adds value to the marine ecological system.”

Dookran said the book also touches on the issue of climate change and shark awareness at beaches.  “A simple thing like the colours you wear at the beach could attract sharks,” she said.

The book is currently being sold at two locations in Tobago where Dookran said it was quite popular -at the Magdelena Grand Beach Resort- Soleil’s Gift Boutique and the Island Originals at the Crown Point Beach Hotel.

A stuffed toy shark is also becoming a requested toy by children.

“Tommy the Shark” is the second children’s book written by Dookran and her fourth published book.  Her first storybook, “Bobby and the Beehive” is a dedication to her deceased father who ran a small part-time business of selling honey. That storybook sought to educate children on the steps taken to produce honey and highlighted the importance of using honey in everyday life along with lyrics to a beautiful honey song.

The 47-year-old author said writing for children was not initially planned but now she enjoys doing it.  Dookran, a Counsellor in the Office of the Prime Minister, Gender & Child Affairs Division is the holder of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and Human Resource Management (Hons) from the University of the West Indies and a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Psychology from Andrews University, Michigan.

Writing poetry was her first style of writing and she has two poetry books already published.  Her first poetry collection, “Breeze of Hope,” where readers are taken on a journey of discovering love, experiencing loss and rebuilding again was published on December, 2018.

Storytelling also forms part of her job.

Dookran said, “I use storytelling as a forum to work with kids to get them to share and connect, the storytelling is part of my work as a counsellor. And I realise it is something that I enjoy doing so hopefully I would do another story book.”

For the children, she would read stories that generally have a happy ending.

“Children that are traumatised you don’t want to tell them a traumatic story. You want to tell a story that has a happy ending , it’s a way to connect. It’s a  way to get the door open  and for them be in the moment and enjoy something else other than their trauma,” she explained.

Singing songs also help which is one of the reasons why songs are included in her storybooks.

Dookran said, “Writing for me is both fun and therapeutic. As a counsellor/therapist who listens to the problems/concerns of others at my day job, writing gives me an outlet to de-stress, to relax, to reflect and an avenue to explore my creative side. It’s a time when I can be free to use words to educate, to entertain, to encourage and to empower. I love to sing and writing stories for children especially provides me with the opportunity to share simple lyrics where children can sing along and see reading as a wonderful fun-filled activity.”

She added, “Reading a storybook to children who have experienced severe trauma also allows me to connect with them in a real and meaningful way. It’s the doorway to unravelling deep seated pain and hurt.”

“Tommy the Shark” was proofread by Dookran’s mother who has now passed on and the author’s 10-year-old niece.  Within a month, the book was completed with graphics being done by local graphic artist Marsha Gomes-Mc Kie.

Last December, Dookran showcased her books at the National Entrepreneurship Development Company Ltd (NEDCO) forum at C3 Centre in San Fernando.  She said while books generally were not as popular as other items such as soaps and candles, “Tommy the Shark” generated a lot of interest.

Being at the event was interesting and she was able to meet other vendors.  Dookran said local authors need innovative ways to market their books.

“If there are more avenues where we could showcase our work, probably it would be good,” she said suggesting that areas such as the ports be used as a viable venue and at varying peak seasons as well.  As a local writer, Dookran donates a copy of her book to the local libraries.

She sees the need for more local books to be available.  Dookran said, “We need to have more local literature. We have a lot of great writers here, but we get caught up with the north American culture.”

In May, 2024, Dookran founded Writers Collab a forum allowing writers to showcase their work and explore various genres of writing with meetings every second Saturday at Tunapuna Public Library.

To other writers, she encourages, “Read. The more you read, the more you know. The world is out there, do your research if you want to write. Learn from other writers, join a writing group so that you can explore and get feedback from other writers.”

For future plans, the author would like to work on another children’s book, maybe a  sequel to Bobby and the Beehive because it was being requested.

“Tommy the Shark” is also available in several Trinidad bookstores and can also be purchased from Amazon or from the author directly.

To get in touch with Dookran, persons can email Mirandadookran37@gmail.com.