JA stunning show of lights, adventures, acrobatics and projections at Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival look to have produced one of the young visitors’ most memorable experiences.

The ‘Dandy Punk Show’ was a mesmerising feat of synchronised theatre, with former Cirque du Soleil artiste Ekeneh Cleudin using nothing more than a screen and a sofa as a stage prop to ride sea waves, race horses, fall through never-ending tunnels and produce magical colour effects through a perfectly timed series of projections.

Drawing on his work as a stunt actor in the ‘Thief Lord’ and ‘District B13’ movies, Cleudin’s moved from one imaginary world to another was pacey but seamless, leaving the audience with dropped jaws and wide eyes.

SCRF runs until April 28 at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme ‘Your Future… Just a Book Away’. The event spans several programmes, under the main themes of Kids Activities, Cultural Programmes, Cultural Café, Kids' Creative Café, Social Media Café and Cookery Corner. SCRF 2018 also features a series of international theatrical performances like ‘Tuta and Monkey Cheetah’, and the ‘Island of Kids’ Area’ that combine education, fun and entertainment to highlight the values of honesty to young visitors.

A prime highlight of the festival this year is its first ever 3D Book Exhibition, featuring 250 pop-up books from the 3D Book Centre in Forli, Italy. The books have been handpicked by the exhibition curators to represent eight different periods of time. One of SCRF’s mainstays, the Sharjah Exhibition for Children’s Books Illustrations, is featuring 355 artworks by 104 illustrators from 32 countries this year.