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Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival: Manga artist, NYT bestseller among 27 authors to headline event

Sharjah - Themed ‘For Your Imagination,’ the 11-day festival at Sharjah Expo Centre will see the participation of 27 authors and 172 publishers from 15 nations.

A manga artist, a New York Times bestselling author and a illustrator are among the high profile authors to headline Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival from May 19-29 .

Themed ‘For Your Imagination,’ the 11-day festival at Sharjah Expo Centre will see the participation of 27 authors and 172 publishers from 15 nations.

Writers appearing in person include Swaady Martin, a serial entrepreneur and activist from the Ivory Coast; New York Times best-seller writer and illustrator Colombian Claudia Reuda; illustrator and designer and author of Leila in Saffron and Sleeping Beauty, Dinara Mirtalipova from Uzbekistan; Pakistani author of The Cosmos That Allah has Changed, Zenubia Arsalan; founder and lead writer of the Greenfeet Guides, American author Ambika Anand Prakop.

New York-based Japanese manga artist Misako Rocks will share her journey as a published artist at the festival and reveal how she developed her signature style, while talking about her current project ‘Bounce Back’. Kevin Sherry, American author and illustrator of The Yeti Files, the award-winning I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean and the Remy Sneaker series, will also attend the festival in person. He is also a chef, a cyclist and a puppeteer.

American author and illustrator of This is How I do it, Matt Lamothe will also attend in person, while Nanette Heffernan, author of the picture book Earth Hour and climate change activist, will interact with her audience virtually. Compatriot Abby Cooper, bestselling author of the middle grade novels Sticks and Stones, Friend or Fiction and Bubbles, will also appear at SCRF virtually.

Authors and illustrators participating virtually from the UK include: Sebastian de Souza, an actor producer, screenwriter, musician and author of KID: A History of the Future; Fransie Franden, writer, illustrator and graphic designer and author of Do Grannies Have Green Fingers?; Katie and Kevin Tsang, writers of children and young adult novels, including Sam Wu is NOT Afraid; author of A Pocketful of Stars, Aisha Bushby; and Wereworld writer and designer of the BAFTA-winning Bob the Builder, Curtis Jobling.

The 12th edition of the 11-day annual festival at the Expo Centre Sharjah, will have an extensive programme of workshops, competitions, plays, and cultural events, including appearances from 16 world renowned authors, some of whom will be attending the event in person, said Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) on Saturday. Others will lead sessions via virtual platforms.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com