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Kids' reading fest is an art lovers' paradise

Sharjah - 11-day fest is hosting 1,518 cultural, educational, arts and entertainment events

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Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah inaugurated the eighth edition of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF) under the theme 'Shine Out' on Wednesday.
The Crown Prince was greeted with loud cheers from a group of children on his arrival. The youngsters then broke into a song to express their happiness at the launch of the leading literary festival.
Taking place over 11 days until April 30, the SCRF 2016 is hosting 1,518 cultural, educational, arts and entertainment events. It is seeing the participation of 130 publishers from 15 countries. Coinciding with the UAE's declaration of 2016 as the Year of Reading, the 11-day SCRF 2016 will give children the opportunity to acquire the latest books and gain new skills through its array of training workshops and fun-filled entertainment and educational events.
Shaikh Sultan toured the festival's halls with its literary sections and stands, some of which have been allocated for publishers and others designated for the festival's many cultural seminars, training workshops, theatrical performances and music shows.

Foodies rejoice at book fair! Food lovers will be able to make the most of SCRF 2016's Cookery Programme, which will host a group of celebrity chefs and nutrition experts. Among those taking part are Kuwaiti chef Intisar Ibrahim Al Mutawa; food manufacturing consultant and head of the Zahr Centre for Professional Training; Jordanian chef Rasha Hamdan; and German chef Christina, author of the cookbook 'Bembli for Family Cooking,' which was the winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2014. Other guests taking part in the gourmet-focused array of activities at SCRF 2016 include Saransh Gulja and Mango Mallhi from India and Canadian chef Jennifer Lo, author of two bestselling children's books 'Children's Kitchen' and 'Daily Kitchen of Children.' afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

On the sidelines of the SCRF 2016, Shaikh Sultan inaugurated the fifth edition of the Sharjah Exhibition for Children's Book Illustrations, the foremost exhibition dedicated to book art in the Arab region. The section has on display 1,380 works of art. 
During the final part of his tour, Shaikh Sultan visited 'Beyond Planet Earth,' a spectacular exhibition being hosted for the first time at the SCRF. The exhibition comprises a collection of mini-presentations that take visitors on a virtual reality journey to explore the future and the possibilities of space flight. Beyond Planet Earth's interactive features include the adventurous 'Solar System Theatre,' 'Returning to the Moon,' 'Exploring Asteroids' and 'Voyaging to Mars', with each feature designed to take the intrepid traveller on a tour of our solar system and beyond.
 
Writers, illustrators bag award
The Crown Prince honoured the winners of the Sharjah Exhibition for Children's Books Illustrations. Scooping the first prize of $8,000 was Lebanese illustrator Hassan Zahreddine. The second place award of $6,000 went to Alexandra Sternin from the US and the third prize of $4,000 was given to German illustrator Sonja Danowski.
The Arabic Children's Book Award went to Saudi author Arwa Khamis for her work 'Ana Roomi,' while the Arabic Young Adult Book Award was given to Tunisian writer Nasr Sami for his book 'Tales of Jaber the Shepherd.' The International Children's Book Award went to Pakistani author and Doctor Tahira Arshad for her publication 'The Black Stone'. 
Shaikh Sultan also honoured the winners of the Sharjah Award for Library Literature in its three categories, with the top three writers as voted by the judges all hailing from Egypt. First place went to Tharwat Elelamy Al Morsi, second place to Ali Fathi Abdul Rahim El Sherif and third place to Ahmed Hafez Ahmed.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com