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UAE: World’s youngest author bags another record before turning 5

The Emirati child, Saeed AlMheiri, is now the youngest person to publish a book series

Published: Mon 19 Jun 2023, 6:52 PM

Updated: Mon 19 Jun 2023, 11:46 PM

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This Emirati boy has achieved not one but two world records. What makes his accomplishment extraordinary is the fact that the little one accomplished these feats before turning five.

In March 2023, at the age of 4 years and 218 days, Saeed Rashed AlMheiri secured his first world record as the youngest person to publish a book. But Saeed's journey didn't stop there. Just 20 days later, he again defied expectations by writing a sequel to his first book. This extraordinary feat earned him another world record, this time as the youngest person to publish a book series (male) at 4 years and 238 days old.

The beginning

During our conversation with Saeed's mother, she mentioned that initially, it was her eldest daughter, Al Dhabi who had a passion for reading books from a tender age. Al Dhabi could identify letters and construct words when she was just three years old and would carry one with her wherever she went.

Her mother narrated a heartwarming incident when Al Dhabi was around six. After visiting their relatives, she was sad and revealed to her mother that everyone else had iPads while she was the only one carrying a book. Intrigued by her daughter's perspective, Al Dhabi's mother asked her, "What do you think we should do?" hoping to encourage her to come up with a solution herself.

Al Dhabi took matters into her own hands. With a home library boasting an impressive collection of over 1,200 books, she decided to share her treasure with the other children. Her plan succeeded, as everyone got hooked on to the habit of reading and inspired buy this six year old.

However, Al Dhabi's desire and ambition went beyond just the family's children, reaching a wider scope by achieving record-breaking numbers in inspiring children around the world to strive for their goals with Rainbow Chimney Educational Aids, a commercial publishing house that focuses on children aged up to 13 years old.

Al Dhabi Al Muhairi had registered her name as the youngest publisher in the world in both Arabic and English in the Guinness Book of Records at the age of seven. She won the title after 1,000 copies of her book entitled (I Had an Idea) were sold.

It is worth mentioning also that she launched an initiative called "Books from Children to Children," where she adopted her friends' talents to publish their own stories and writings

The role model sister

Saeed, being the younger sibling, was deeply inspired by his sister's love for books and writing. At a tender age of four, he told his mother his desire to write a book of his own, just like Al Dhabi. His mother and Al Dhabi wholeheartedly supported his ambition.

Al Dhabi extended her help to Saeed in fulfilling his dream of publishing a book. She assisted him in the entire process, from conceptualisation to publication, without any external assistance for writing or illustrations.

His first book, titled "The Elephant Saeed and the Bear", talks about an elephant, a polar bear who, instead of eating the elephant, chooses to befriend it.

When his sister published her other writings, Saeed expressed his desire to publish another book, writing a sequel to that book, earning him the title of the youngest person to publish a book series.

His second book in the series, "My True Friend", talks about the elephant saying farewell to his polar bear friend as he heads home. However, the elephant falls into the water and calls for help, and the bear comes to the rescue.

His mother reminded us that now she and her children are not striving for achievements for themselves. She says, "My goal is to educate this generation and to tell all parents that their children can do it too. My children are not different; they are like any normal child who needs the right environment to thrive."

She added, "We are working on upcoming surprises. There are new books and new initiatives that will serve all children."

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