The ‘1001 Titles’ initiative by Sharjah based cultural initiative Knowledge without Borders (KwB) has used its participation at the ongoing Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2018) to showcase the fruits of its first edition. The initiative that has been established to launch 1,001 titles in a timeframe of two years, has unveiled a collection of the published titles along with a booklet containing the covers of all the 1,001 titles that were supported by the initiative along with information about their publishers. 

The move aligns with the initiative’s vision to boost the intellectual output of the UAE and encourage authors, illustrators and publishers to produce good quality books for children and young adults, as well as to further enrich the cultural landscape of the Arab world by establishing a strong platform of knowledge for the young generation.

 Through its participation at SCRF 2018, ‘1001 Titles’ aims to acquaint participating publishers and visiting authors and illustrators about the initiative and inform them about the support and patronage the initiative offers to help individuals and entities in the field of publishing here in the UAE. They have called out to publishers to participate in its second edition, which aims to publish another 1,001 Emirati first-edition titles in 2018–19.

As a way of introducing the festival’s audience to the outcome of its support to publishers books and in line with the festival’s spirit, the initiative has released some titles for children and put them on display at the KwB stand at SCRF. The most prominent books include Rabbit’s Wish, Saving a Dog, and The River of Colours.

Rabbit's Wish

Author: Suhair Al Samman |  Illustrations:  Zahra Mohamed Ali

 Publisher: Al Safa Publishers and Distributors

The book tells the simple story of a rabbit, which managed, with his intelligence, to avert himself from being abused by the evil wolf, who likes to hurt others for no reason. Through this story, the writer aims to encourage children to use simple self-defense tricks if they are exposed to any suspecting danger.

The River of Colour

Writer and illustrator: Maryam Al Atoli

Publisher: Al Hudhud Publishing and Distribution

The River of Colours narrates the story of a river that has stopped from flowing into five regions adjacent to the Kingdom of "Black and White". Through a sequence of events, the writer looks for the reasons that prevented the river from flowing into these nearby areas.

The Queen sent cavalier called ‘Rainbow’, who is known for his bravery and good conduct to restore the flow of the river into its runoffs, and examine the problems that caused it to stop. The author highlights the role of each colour in solving a particular problem. Through this story, she aims to introduce the group of colours to children and highlight their importance as they add joy and pleasure to our lives.

Saving a Dog

Author: Ahmed Fathi | Illustrations: Hani Salah

Publisher: Al Borj Media Publishing and Distribution

Saving a Dog is a lesson on how to deal with strangers by asking a series of questions in this regard. Is it safe for us to deal with strangers and obey them without thinking? Shall we accept gifts and food from them? Should we believe whatever they say? Is it right to put our trust in strangers just because they show courtesy toward us?

All these questions are answered by the writer through the events of the story in a fun and interesting way of telling about the challenging adventure of a small dog with foxes.