The Arab Children’s Book Publishers Forum announced the winners of the Award for the Best Child’s Book for the ninth session / 2022, which was granted, according to the jury’s decision, to a number of distinguished and outstanding works that fulfilled the Award criteria, namely:
Firstly: Early Childhood Books Category:
The Book entitled (Do Not Call Animals Out Loud)
The writer: Tamara Kashha and illustrations were made by Anna Zurita; the publisher: Dar Al Yasmeen / Jordan.
Secondly: Middle Childhood Books Category:
The Book entitled (This is why Rayan walks like this): The writer: Yahya Ashour and the illustrations were made by Abdullah Qawariq; the publisher: Tamer Institute for Community Education / Palestine.
Thirdly: Young People Books Category:
The Book entitled (The Garden): the writer: Reda Salam and the illustrations were made by Yasser Jaisa; the publisher: Wow Publishing and Educational Services, United Arab Emirates.
On this occasion, the Forum management congratulated the winners, wishing them continued excellence and success and it extended its best wishes to all members of the Forum.
Ms. Aisha Hamad Meghawer, Secretary-General of the Arab Children’s Book Publishers Forum, also praised this level of members’ publications, which reflects what the Forum seeks, with respect to serving the child’s book and raising the level of its members’ publications, so that it could remain a tributary that enriches the knowledge among the generations. In addition, it would play its role in upgrading Arab children’s literature. Then, she pointed out that this Award is dedicated for developing the children's book and encouraging the publishers to provide the best quality, which would contribute to motivating children to have and acquire the book, as well as develop their reading habit.
The Award’s jury concluded its work during the past few days in assessing the works participating in the ninth session of the Forum’s Award for the Best Child’s Book through a set of assessment criteria for this Award, which aims at the enhancement of the creative production of publishing house members of the Forum and development of their contributions in the publishing fields of the Arab child’s book.
The winners were honored on Saturday, 14/5/2022 within the activities of the Sharjah Reading Festival.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, said during a press conference held by the Authority at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park yesterday, to reveal the details of the new session: “When (Sharjah International Book Fair) is mentioned, (Sharjah Great Cultural Project) is mentioned as well, and this makes us proud a lot, because in Sharjah we are reaping the fruits of the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, of more than 40 years ago, which he has been taking care of year after year until we reached this day to benefit of the results of this effort.”
He added: “The Fair started as an incubator for a few publishing houses and hundreds of visitors, and today it hosts the largest number of publishers in its history, with 2,213 publishers. The Fair became the first in the world to buy and sell copyright in 2021, and reaching this rank was never a goal for Sharjah, however, what the Fair has achieved is due to what His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah built.”
2,213 publishers from 95 countries, and 129 writers, theorists and innovators from 57 countries, will participate in the revival of 1,047 diverse cultural activities, in the 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority under the slogan "A Word to the World", during the period from the second to November 13th at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
The Fair celebrates Italy as the guest of honor during its new edition, and sends to its audience and guests through a rich program that covers the axes of Italian culture through activities that address various groups and interests, and provide a comprehensive and vivid picture of the Italian scene, and its civilizational, cultural and artistic richness.
During the press conference, the Consul General of Italy in Dubai, Giuseppe Venociaro, said: "We are pleased to have chosen Italy as the guest of honor for the 41st edition of the Fair, as this confirms the depth of relations between Italy and the UAE at various levels, especially in the cultural and literary sector."
For his part, the Director of the Publishing Services Department at the Sharjah Book Authority, Mansour Al-Hassani, reviewed the schedule of events related to the participation of publishers in this year's fair. The most prominent foreign participations were the presence of publishing houses from India, the United Kingdom and Italy, and all participants display more than 1.5 million titles on an area of more than 18,000 square meters.
The Fair will host the “Publishers Conference” in its 12th edition, over three days, from the 30th of this month to the first of November.
As part of its continuous interest in children, the Fair this year dedicated 623 activities for youngsters, ranging from workshops, plays, and entertainment and educational performances. The Fair organizes 123 shows divided between theatrical performances, dance performances, and touring shows.
For his part, the Director of the Publishing Services Department at the Sharjah Book Authority, Mansour Al-Hassani, reviewed the schedule of events related to the participation of publishers in this year's exhibition. The most prominent foreign participations were the presence of publishing houses from India, the United Kingdom and Italy, and all participants display more than 1.5 million titles on an area of more than 18,000 square meters.
A meeting was held last Saturday between Mr. Tayfur Esen (President of the International Association of Children's Book Publishers in Turkey) and Mr. Hassan Muhammad Adnan Salem (Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Children's Book Publishers Forum), in attendance of Dr. Muhammad Agir Akce. This fruitful meeting allowed to give an overview of the activities of both institutions, they discussed the areas of common cooperation, and ways to boost and strengthen the activities between all the institutions operating in the area of Children's books so as to establish joint targeted activities.
The Ministry of Culture and Youth has announced yesterday the start of the "Reading Month 2022" under the theme " The UAE Reads ", embodying the national vision, that seeks to pave the way for a generation of readers, strengthening the country's position as a capital of content, culture and knowledge.
The United Arab Emirates celebrates Reading Month every year, in accordance with the decision issued by the Council of Ministers, which established the month of March annually as National Reading Month, a milestone that sets a new pace in the development of knowledge societies in the country. The Ministry of Culture and Youth is committed to its implementation, in full coordination with the relevant federal and local authorities.
The Reading Month mirrors the eagerness of the United Arab Emirates' leadership, headed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rachid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. The objective of the project is to foster a culture of science and knowledge, and to bring to fruition a series of cultural, intellectual, and cognitive projects launched by the state since its inception.
A key national goal of this initiative is to ensure that reading behavior reaches 50% of Emirati adults by 2026 and 80% of students, with an average of 20 books read by students per year on a voluntary basis. Another goal of this strategy is that the percentage of Emirati parents who read for their children should be no less than about 50%.
Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said: "Reading is intricately linked to the UAE's efforts both to shore up the knowledge economy as a platform to step into the future and to sustain the country's progress and the well-being of its people. Indeed, without reading, there is no way for the educated and innovative citizen to embrace the foundations of the knowledge economy, to drive the process of sustainable development, to consolidate the reading culture in society and to make initiatives to upgrade the level of knowledge and culture a top priority in the annual agenda of government and private bodies.
His Highness the President of the State has enacted the National Reading Law, the first of its kind in the world, with the aim of underpinning the development of human capital, contributing to the strengthening of mental and cognitive capacities, supporting national intellectual production and enhancing knowledge. societies in the country. The National Reading Law establishes binding frameworks for all government bodies in the educational, community, media and cultural sectors to further reinforce reading among all groups in society at all ages.
