SCRF returns on May 1 for an exciting 12-day creative feast
The 15th edition of the annually held festival is bringing together millions of books for children and young adults
The largest celebration of knowledge, creativity, art and innovation of its kind in the region, the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) is returning for its 15th edition on May 1. The highly anticipated event will take place in Expo Centre Sharjah until May 12.
The festival organiser, Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), has confirmed that the 12-day festival is going to be completely action packed for young readers, artists and creatives as well as their families. While millions of books including latest releases in children’s and Young Adult (YA) literature from across the globe will be at the heart of SCRF 2024, the event will offer the region’s largest plaform for cultural and artistic appreciation with theatrical performances, culinary demonstrations, workshops in STEM, social media, music, and several other areas of interest, exciting competitions, activities, animation events and more.
The literary programme of SCRF 2024 will feature discussions between Arab and international authors, publishers, sports and media personalities and others, book signing events, storytelling sessions, reading activities for children and other literary workshops.
SCRF will also continue to offer its world-class networking plaform to publishers, booksellers, literary agents, authors, illustrators, artists, librarians, cultural and literary entities as well as governments from around the world to connect, explore collaborations and look into ways to boost the local and regional landscape for publishing and other creative industries.
The winners of current editions of the prestigious accolades that SBA has designed to support the children’s literature industry, namely, the Sharjah Children’s Book Award, Books for Visually Impaired Children Award, and the Sharjah Audio Book Award, will be announced.
Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of SBA, said: “The festival reflects the vision of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), furthering our unwavering commitment to human development and the advancement of intellectual and creative capacities, which serve as foundational elements of sustainable progress here in the UAE.”
He added: “SCRF assumes a pivotal role in Sharjah’s dedication to nurturing knowledgeable and conscious generations. Aligned with our leadership’s commitment to identifying and nurturing children’s talents, the festival serves as a vibrant plaform conducive to learning, entertainment and an appreciation for the arts, while also facilitating an environment for professionals in children’s and young adult literature to exchange best practices and insights,” he added.
For her part, Khawla Al Mujaini, General Coordinator of SCRF, emphasised the festival’s diverse and rich agenda, saying, “this year’s edition is poised to make significant contributions to the intellectual and creative development of the younger generation. Through a diverse array of cultural, entertainment, and artistic activities, our aim is to cultivate their skills, unearth their talents across various domains, and foster collaborative endeavours among writers, illustrators, and publishers, thereby elevating the children’s literature industry.”
In 2023, scores of publishers participating in the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival showed their satisfaction on the response they are geting on exhibiting their material for young children of Arab natives.
Talking to Gulf Today a group of publishing houses in the Arab world including Lebanon, Jordan, UAE, Morocco and Syria expressed their happiness on the response of families and young readers on their collection they are presenting at the children festival.
Dar Al Majani, a 60-year publishing house from Beirut, has been participating in the children’s reading festival with hundreds of their latest titles grabbing the atention of young readers.
Tony Aboud, the representative of the publishing firm, said they have been participating in the Sharjah Reading Festival, the annual Sharjah International Book Festival and others for many years.
“Since the opening of the festival on May 3, we have been receiving scores of families with young children buying our books on a wide range of topics including the interactive storybooks,” he said.