Sultan allots Dh2.5m for children’s books

His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has ordered the allocation of Dh2.5 million towards the purchase of books from participating publishers at the ongoing edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2018).

The books to be purchased will be selected from the latest publications brought by 134 publishers hailing from 18 Arab and foreign countries participating in SCRF 2018.

Ahmad Al Ameri, SBA chairman, said: “This is a festival tradition and has come back again this year with a view to furthering the vision and efforts of Shaikh Sultan to develop children’s curiosity and love for books — the most valuable sources of knowledge and creativity known to humankind. Through this initiative, we seek to spark the imagination of young readers, and develop their intellect by giving them access to the latest in literature, fiction, science, technology and arts through books by renowned authors from around the world.”

A special committee is tasked with the process of selecting books based on a set of criteria, which will be in compliance with the needs of public libraries and schools in the emirate. The committee will lay a special focus on language integrity, quality of the publications, their topicality, and the content’s compatibility’s with the Arabic and Islamic traditions.