Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival kicks off on Wednesday

1.2206364-1075205482 — Darya Yegorina Image Credit: SBA

Sharjah: The latest books, best — selling authors and a range of fun activities await visitors at the 11-day Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) which kicks off on Wednesday at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) from April 18-28, the 10th edition of the festival will be held under the theme ‘Your Future … Just a Book Away’, with a line-up of 2,600 cultural and literary events and activities to enrich and entertain all ages, organisers said.

Over 130 publishers from 18 Arab and foreign countries will showcase their books and literary works at the festival this year, which will also be attended by 286 authors, poets and literary guests hailing from 121 countries.

International authors

Coming to Sharjah from five continents, among the many famous international authors are Britain’s Ed Vere (pictured), whose ‘Max the Brave’ is a New York Times best-seller and was named one of The Sunday Times’ 100 modern children’s classics; Varun Pruthi, an Indian humanitarian, actor, director and social media star who has 1.7 million YouTube subscribers.

Arab guests

The festival also hosts a line-up of the Arab world’s most popular authors and artists who have contributed to Arab literature with works that will enrich the cultural landscape for future generations. Joining them will be a stellar line-up of famous thespians.

Shows

The festival will also witness a series of Arab and foreign theatrical performances that combine education, fun and entertainment to highlight the values of honesty to young visitors,

Young visitors will be treated to a truly impressive virtual reality illusion show ‘Hara Hiroki’ from Japan, which is the latest in innovative video mapping, and a range of interactive visual shows that blur the lines between reality and graphics, immersing the young spectators in a magical world of hologram illusions.

3D book exhibition

A historic 3D Book Exhibition will be made available to visitors and literature enthusiasts of all age groups. The exhibition, aims to introduce the UAE’s readers to the ancient art of pop-up or three dimensional books. Visitors will have access to 250 of these books that have been hand-picked by the exhibition curators to represent eight different periods of time, ranging from the 1880s to the year 2000.

Cookery corner

The festival’s famous Cookery Corner will once again be hosting several top international celebrity chefs to share some of their favourite dishes and recipes. The renowned chefs from Canada, the US and India along with accomplished chefs from the UAE will showcase their culinary skills as they prepare a wide range of new dishes that reflect the cultures of their countries.

The Cookery Corner will present a variety of creative cooking workshop.

Young visitors to SCRF’s Cookery Corner will be fascinated by young Indian chef Jehan Razdan, a 4-year-old who appears on Indian Television.