The panda clasped in Trabulsi's hands, which appears on the book's cover, is one of her favorite stuffed dolls.
At the end of May, Sultan and Trabulsi took a day to travel around Beijing, which they had never done so deliberately, taking pictures at the places they love so that they can take the memories back to Saudi Arabia. Trabulsi kept the panda throughout the journey. Maybe that's the tot's way to express her attachment to the city.
"You see? That's how I'm inspired to write, and to publish the book," says Sultan, adding that her child's love of the city has made their connection to China stronger.
It wasn't easy for a foreigner to publish a book in China. It took Sultan about two years to finally find a publisher eager to help.
"I got refused by many publishing houses, sometimes with ridiculous reasons. For example, one told me that he couldn't publish my book because it wasn't a set but just one piece," says Sultan.
However, she didn't give up, calling all the publishing houses she could reach out to, and she finally found someone who appreciated her efforts.
Li Xiangang, an editor with the Daylight Publishing House, was touched by the feelings Sultan's family has for China, and of course more importantly, the content of the book.
"No matter in terms of content, illustrating quality, or market potential, What A Place matched my expectations for a children's book," says Li, adding that he decided to publish the book almost immediately when he heard about it, because he saw how China has attracted and amazed people around the world in the book.
Li says that the publishing industry in China has been faced with challenges from electronic reading devices and the changes of people's reading habits in recent years.
"Illustrated books, however, are just beginning to unfold in China, which is quite a potential field where more great works are expected," says Li, who hopes that more works like this, whether written by Chinese or foreigners, can appear in the Chinese book industry.
