Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival
The International Board on Books for Young People UK (IBBY UK) were delighted to attend Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), which ran from April 20-30 at the Expo Centre Sharjah, as a Guest of Honour of the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY).
This report provides an overview of the visit and summarises the work undertaken by UAEBBY and other organisations to promote reading within the UAE and across the region. Attending SCRF 2016 on behalf of IBBY UK were Sophie Hallam, IBBY UK Executive Committee; Julia Eccleshare, Children’s Books Editor for The Guardian; Dianne Hofmeyr, children’s author and Alexis Deacon, children’s book illustrator. The UK representatives were present at the event from April 20-23 2016, with their involvement seeing them participate in a panel discussion, hosting creative workshops for children and meeting their UAE counterparts involved in the promotion of reading among young people as well as authors and publishers. Alexis Deacon and Dianne Hofmeyr’s work was displayed on the UAEBBY stand alongside some of the the UK’s recent award winners and nominees.
You can read the report here.