Norashikin Abdul Latiff

Norashikin Abdul Latiff is a poet at heart. Her writing has always grown from reflection, observation, and a deep belief that words can help us make sense of the world, especially for children. She was raised in a home shaped by education, with parents who were teachers and who believed deeply in learning, language, and compassion. This early grounding later led her to pursue an English degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Beyond her love for writing, Norashikin’s work has long been connected to community and non profit spaces, including her involvement with Restu Foundation. Through this work, she has travelled to different countries and gained first hand exposure to how hardship, displacement, and uncertainty shape the lives of families and children. These experiences were encountered through listening, learning, and being present.

One experience that stayed with her was her time in Afghanistan, where she was involved in supporting a pilot project in setting up a soup kitchen concept for local communities. Witnessing how children continue to play, imagine, and hope even in fragile circumstances strengthened her conviction that children need gentle and honest stories to help them understand the world around them.

In a digital age where images of violence and suffering are easily seen and quickly forgotten, Norashikin writes with care and purpose. She believes that loss, destruction, and the taking of lives should never be normalised, especially for children. Through visual storytelling, she hopes to offer young readers a different way of seeing, one that nurtures empathy, dignity, and moral awareness.

Norashikin has written four books to date. The Olive Tree That Remembered is her fifth book, and her first children’s book. It marks the beginning of a growing body of children’s stories shaped by her belief that parents deserve books they can trust, and children deserve stories that help them understand the world with care