The family-friendly event will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority
The family-friendly event will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority
The family-friendly event will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority
The family-friendly event will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority

Everything you need to know about the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival


Maan Jalal
  • English
  • Arabic

The 14th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival begins on Wednesday and ends on May 14.

It has an expansive programme for both children and adults that includes workshops, live demonstrations, talks, author meet and greets and plenty of books.

Here’s everything you need to know about the festival.

What is Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival?

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, it is an annual family-friendly festival aimed at fostering a love of reading for children of all ages.

The free festival was created under the guidance of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife, Sheikha Jawaher.

The event's mission over the last 14 years has been to become the biggest children's book fair in the region. While the festival highlights the importance of reading and books, it also has many other elements to inspire children in all manners of storytelling. These include shows, plays, workshops, live cooking demonstrations and comic exhibitions.

The festival also welcomes school pupils and university students and has a volunteer programme to help foster and grow a community passionate about books and reading.

What is happening at this year's festival?

This year's event will offer six stations spread across the festival with varying workshops and activities for youngsters. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority
This year's event will offer six stations spread across the festival with varying workshops and activities for youngsters. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority

Under the theme of Train your Brain, the festival will have plenty of activities to inspire, entertain and educate children. These include workshops in sports, social media, crafts and musical activities led by 25 guest authors, illustrators and experts from 10 countries around the world.

One of the more exciting workshops this year is centred on Grand Prix racing, where children and adults will be able to build their own wooden cars and race them. Other workshops include animation, filmmaking, entrepreneurship and more.

There is also the Cookery Corner where 12 chefs from nine countries will take part in more than 30 culinary events.

And, of course, there will be plenty of books. From the latest releases to classics, 141 publishers who specialise in novels, comics, educational books and creative genres will be in attendance.

Who is coming to the event?

More than 400 guests from 66 countries will be attending this year. These include authors, illustrators, artists, viral social media acts, renowned chefs and more.

Some of those attending include children's authors Bijal Vachharajani, Sudha Murty and children’s author Humza Arshad; international bestselling author Shaw Kuzki; and chef and author Priyanka Naik.

The Masaka Kids Africana from Uganda, whose dance videos have gone viral, will be performing.

Content creators such as Emirati chef Faisal Al Khalidi, Emirati media personality Azza Al Mughairy and Wessam Qutob from Jordan will be present at the social media station to share their tips on the latest techniques for creating content.

There will also be a number of well-known speakers and experts on stage discussing issues that affect children today.

Panel discussions include The Importance of Developing Emotional Intelligence Skills at Young Age with Dr Maya Alhuwi from the UAE; Lorca Sbeity from Lebanon; and Dr Louise Lambert from Canada.

Another talk is The Link Between Artificial Intelligence, Education Curricula and Children's Books, with Dr Karima Matar Almazroui from the UAE; Egyptian author Amal Farah; and author Ross Welford from the UK.

When and where will it take place?

The event runs for 12 days. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority
The event runs for 12 days. Photo: Sharjah Book Authority

The event runs until May 14 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

It will be open to visitors from 4pm to 8pm on Wednesday and on weekdays from 9am to 8pm. On Fridays, the festival will run from 4pm to 9pm, while on Saturday and Sunday, it will run from 9am to 9pm.

More information is available at www.scrf.ae

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

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If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”

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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6

Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm

Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km

Price: Dh375,000 

On sale: now 

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1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

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16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

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Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

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Number of tracks: 10

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Power: 444bhp

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BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.

TRAP

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Director: M Night Shyamalan

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United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

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Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

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Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

European arms

Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons.  Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.

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Updated: May 03, 2023, 12:04 PM