The Bookship

By Hiba Noor Khan, illustrated by Julian Ariza

Ketebe Publishing UK 2026

The Bookship is a story about oral tradition, loss and the healing that follows.

Alia loves listening to her grandad’s stories. Grandad is a storyteller, with a story for every mood and every moment of the day: for when she is “sad, glad, or mad, and every other feeling” she might experience.

There is something deeply familiar in this for those who come from cultures where oral tradition, mixed with playful poetry, forms part of their childhood: stories told and retold, passed from one generation to another. And there is much here, too, for children who simply want to immerse themselves in a fantastical, poetic and magical world.

When Alia loses her grandad, she feels empty. There are no more stories to fill her up and, without one to comfort her through her grief, she begins to drown.

There is a particular vulnerability to stories carried through oral tradition. Alia cannot return to a picture book her grandad once read to her and, through it, reconnect with the memory of him. However, with time, she discovers that the stories have not disappeared but continue to live inside her. Slowly, as stories resurface, she begins to feel full again.

Alia begins sharing her grandad’s stories with others, including those who have forgotten their own. She becomes a bearer of the light he once carried, continuing what he passed on to her.

Julian Ariza’s illustrations make this journey particularly striking through his use of light and darkness. The story begins in the light. After her grandad’s death, Alia moves through darkness as she tries to find her way forward. When she finally finds the stories and her connection to her grandad within herself, the light returns. This time, Alia carries it to others.

The Bookship becomes not only a story about losing a storyteller, but about discovering that a story passed on can find another voice.