Saleh Fareed

Saudi Gazette

The 11-day Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival which concluded here recently has been a huge success with participation of 124 publishers from 17 countries and 30 bestselling authors of children’s books.



On its sidelines, the festival had exhibition of children’s books, lectures and educational contests. Ahmed Al-Ameri, director of Sharjah International Book Fair, said the festival was not just about books but also had an incredible line-up of 1,694 fun-filled events ranging from plays, art and science workshops, to activities designed for children with special needs.



“Children got to hear stories, play games, learn photography, watch films and even improve their maths besides reading books from the huge range of books available,” he said.



The festival had a wide array of activities like a program on culture, culinary corner, coffee shop and cafe culture. Besides, there was also an exhibition on inventions and drawing children books.



Other activities included workshops, technical education sand painting art Alvesfassae, decoration and calligraphy, the art of paper winding and Orcha training to stimulate memory and the development of mental skills through the game of chess, mathematics and logic, as well as lectures on the rights of the child.



The activities also focussed on abuse of children and ways to tackle the issue, theatrical and cinematic literacy sessions and creative activities and seminars on topics of environment and heritage, science and health. The festival also offered a Creative Café, where children interacted with each other in dialogue ­sessions.



“We had a program called ‘How to say no to child abuse.’ This was designed not just for children and youth but for parents and teachers, too. We were taking care of children with special needs through a program on autism and those who are slower in learning,” said Al-Ameri.



One of the highlights of the festival was 1001 Inventions exhibition which chronicled a thousand years of scientific and cultural achievements during the Golden Age of Muslim Civilization.



“The exhibition combined education and entertainment and offered an ideal opportunity for students to absorb complex ideas in a simple and interactive manner. The teaching products and illustrative materials accompanying the exhibition enabled both teachers and students to enhance the learning process,” Al-Ameri explained.



Among the 1,675 events and activities – three times more than last year – lectures and seminars were held for adults, games, crafts and fun lessons arranged for kids. And for the first time a dedicated cookery program for both adults and children to learn important skills while having fun was also organized.



“The cookery program was carefully designed to suit children’s various ages and present it within an educational and guiding framework that combines presentation of food recipes, health habits and raising children’s awareness about dangers associated with the kitchen,”Al-Ameri commented.



On the other side, caricature illustrators were flown in from India. Rather than the traditional pen and paper method, Keshav Divate and his colleagues used iPads for their sketches. “I prefer using iPads,” says Divate, who hails from Bangalore. “The work is smooth, I can easily modify my work and the colors are fresh.”



While sketching he focused on distinguishing features like the eyes, nose, lips and hairstyle and also trying to capture the personality. “Sometimes you can tell if a kid is naughty just by looking at him,” he said.



In addition to the activities, chess game was very popular among children. “There’s a lot that children can learn from chess,” said Al-Ameri. “Things like being calm, being patient, concentrating, challenging oneself on a mental level, enriching the imagination, understanding probabilities and excelling in mathematical calculations are all skills that are boosted by chess,” he said.



He also noted that the idea behind this festival was how to make more people love books and make the community enjoy the love of the written word. “So investing in the future of our children is the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al-Qasimi,” he said.



“Our intention was aimed at the children who came to the festival to pass that love of reading on to their own families, and that’s the reason why we did this. And to show its support, the Sharjah government has spent 2.5 million dirham (around $750,000) buying books at the festival which was donated to school libraries,” he said.



“Next year’s festival will be much bigger and better,” Al-Ameri concluded.