Taline Badrikian’s latest children’s book, Բարի Ջրարջը (Pari Churarchuh – The Kind Raccoon), was released in October, giving parents a new resource to teach their children Western Armenian.
Badrikian is a first-generation Armenian American who grew up in the Watertown, Massachusetts Armenian community. She had the privilege of growing up with her paternal grandmother, who insisted that she didn’t speak or understand English even after living in the U.S. for over 50 years, so Armenian was naturally the primary language in her household. Badrikian attended the Armenian Sisters Academy until the fourth grade and St. Stephen’s Armenian Saturday School until the ninth grade.
“My Armenian community gave me so much. I came into leadership positions and opportunities that I would have never experienced had it not been for my community,” Badrikian shared with the Weekly.
Badrikian studied computer systems and now owns her own digital marketing business. She has been a member of the Homenetmen and AYF and is on the Board of Directors for Camp Haiastan.
Badrikian started a self-publishing company, Kids Reading Armenian, and has published six children’s books, which she writes in Western Armenian.
“In 2014, when I started looking for board books in Western Armenian for my first child, I realized that there wasn’t much offered. So I did the only thing I could. I did it myself. At that time, it wasn’t as fluid as now, but I managed it with online research and some risk-taking,” recalled Badrikian.
She embarked on this new journey using Kickstarter to finance the first book. Within 24 hours, her book was funded. She credits this to her vast and supportive network of friends, family and community. She has published a book every two years since then. She writes in Armenian and then retrofits the stories to English for her self-published English titles at Big Ears Books.
“Anoush Koon, Pari Yeraz, was completed in three hours one Saturday morning,” remarked Badrikian. “It’s all about practice. The books give me an avenue to practice and help me keep my Armenian current. My books are a vehicle to add Armenian vocabulary to children’s lives.”
All of Badrikian’s books have universal messages including friendship, teamwork, bedtime routines, the benefits of sleep, exercise through play and kindness. Her latest book, which came out the week of October 21, 2024, is about kindness and how it can show up in many different ways.
Badrikian’s books are available online at kidsreadingarmenian.com, Etsy and Amazon or with retailers including Abril Bookstore, Sardarabad Bookstore, Aghpur Events, Agateh, the Armenian Museum of America, Hamazkayin Toronto, Hamazkayin Montreal, NAASR and the Eastern Prelacy.
The books include transliterated text in English. “I’m a realist, and I don’t want Armenian to be intimidating. I want to enable non-Armenian speakers and non-Armenian readers to access the stories and share them with the children in their lives. I want there to be no barriers,” said Badrikian.
Badrikian’s advice for those wanting to write is to be patient. “Take notes. Give yourself time. If you want to do it, you will. It’s not a quick process, but you have all of the necessary tools. You just need your will to start and to continue until you are finished.”
Taline’s collection of books includes Բարի Ջրարջը – The Kind Raccoon, Մարզասէր Նապիկը – Healthy & Fit Bunny, Անուշ Քուն, Բարի Երազ – Sweet Sleep, Good Dream, Ուրախ Խոզուկը – The Happy Piggy and Աշխատասէր Մրջիւններ – Diligent Ants.
“Read Armenian to your kids. Gift Armenian books to children to flame their curiosity. Keep the Armenian language alive by reading to our children,” Badrikian concluded.
Talar Keoseyan
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