Kalimat launches children's book at Sharjah book fair

Sharjah: Local publishers aim for their books to gain global popularity as a result of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) recently becoming a member of the International Publishers Association.

"Kalimat participated at the book fair in Frankfurt and we received a great deal of interest from German, UK and US publishers who wanted to buy our books and translate them," said Shaikha Budoor Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the EPA and Chief Executive of Kalimat Publishing.

"I was very pleased because the UAE is one of the few Arab countries who have managed to gain the membership of the IPA," said Shaikha Budoor, who added that Kalimat have also launched their latest children's book on Thursday at the Sharjah International Book Fair.

Gratitude

The book titled, Law Kuntu Taeran (If I Were a Bird) was written by award-winning Arabic children's author Fatima Sharaf Al Deen and illustrated by Amal Karzai, and is available at the Kalimat stand.

"The book teaches children about gratitude and appreciation for a home and a family. As with the release of each of our titles, our aim is to encourage children to develop a love for reading and a passion for Arabic literature, as reading is a very important skill that helps children to develop vital language and cognitive skills."

All profits from the sale of the book will be used to help build libraries in Palestine.

"The guest of honour this year is Palestine, so we wanted to do something special. We chose this topic because children are exposed to what is happening in Palestine, and they have the right to know what is going on in the Arab world," she said.

Shaikha Budoor pointed out that a special compilation of the writings and paintings of Palestinian children, with additional illustrations by UAE children, will only be available during the fair.

The book, titled, Gardens of Hope, is a joint publication from Kalimat and the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), a non-profit organisation that represents an international network of people committed to bringing books and children together.