ArtView October 2013 | Page 18

Who are some of the other actors or artists of your aims in writing this book? Was there a Lebanese heritage that you admire? message you wanted to impart to children? Tony Shalhoub. My friend of years, the late Michael Ansara. Danny Thomas, Selma Hayek, and of course, Paul Anka, Omar Sharif, and many of the wonderful writers of music and shows and set designers we have had the good fortune to produce. I cannot remember their names at this time but they made an impact on me when I was growing up. Emil Kuri, I believe was one that just came to my mind. He was an award winning set designer, I believe. Have the traditions of Lebanese culture remained an important part of your life? I go to church every Sunday and take Communion. I love my Arabic food. I try to speak a bit of it here and there just to keep the memories of my childhood fresh. I love all of our holidays. All of the We thought it would be an entertaining idea to bring traditions that go with my Orthodox Easter and our the imaginary camel Habibi that Klinger used in Christian Christmas. I enjoy a glass of Arak now MASH to life. We thought it would make a fun and then. I think of my grandparents on both sides children’s book. So we came up with the idea that of the family and the love I have for them. The get- Habibi had a wife named Habeeba and had a baby togethers I experienced with the Arabic music, named Hababy. We thought using the camels in the instruments, food and dancing. It is a rich culture story of the birth of Christ was a good way to and one I keep close to my heart. highlight their importance in the life of the little camel. We used other animals who were being told In 2003 you wrote a children’s picture book, the story and made them important in the story Hababy's Christmas Eve, with your wife Joy, and itself, and we gave them the names of some of my illustrations by Alice io Oglesby. This tells the childhood friends. It was a work of fun. Alice did a Christmas story from the point of view of the superb job with her illustrations. camels carrying the three wise men. What were