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Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) will kick off its 7th edition this month from April 22 to May 2, featuring over 90 daily activities with a total of 918 over the 11 days. There will be free workshops aimed at developing children’s skills in writing, illustration, painting, coloring and making shapes and entertainment will be laid on with stage and art shows as well as a cinema.
The festival will take place at the Expo Centre in Sharjah and will also features activities aimed at supporting children’s mental and physical health with doctors, nutritionists and public health experts dishing out advice and guidance.
This is the first time the event will be held under the umbrella of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and is expected to be the largest SCRF so far. It coincides with the celebrations of Sharjah as the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2015 and the 4th edition of the Sharjah Exhibition for Children’s Book Illustrations will be held alongside the festival. This will comprise a huge collection of artworks and illustrations submitted by professional artists representing 35 countries from all around the world. Winners of the professional illustrator’s competition will also be announced during the exhibition.
Hind Abdullah Lenaid, Head of Exhibitions at Sharjah International Book Fair and General Coordinator of SCRF, said that they had received a good response from publishing houses, government institutions and associations and centres involved in the book industry from all over the world. She said, “Exhibition space has already been booked by leading international institutions and organizations all of which seek to promote children’s knowledge and develop their talents and abilities through publications, games, programmes and services that will be on offer at the 2015 SCRF.”
Lenaid added, “I am confident that the participation of Arab and foreign publishers will enrich the children's library in the UAE thanks to the high caliber of books released by these publishers. These books will attract children, despite the challenges posed by digital devices that take up so much of their attention. It is our hope that children will still find a lot of books that are no less entertaining than any electronic device and are therefore able to enjoy learning, discovering and exploring in this world as opposed to virtual reality.”
A press conference will be held on 6 April to announce the details of the festival and to unveil the names of prominent participants, including authors, intellectuals and artists specialised in children’s literature.
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