Between April 23 and May 4 at the Expo Centre Sharjah
Sharjah, April 21, 2025
The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2025) has announced its cultural programme, featuring over 50 sessions and events led by more than 50 experts and specialists, including Arab and international writers and thinkers. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the 16th edition of the festival will take place from April 23 to May 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, under the theme “Dive into Books.”
The cultural programme will commence on Wednesday, April 23, with two sessions at the Culture Forum. The first, titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of New Writers?”, will feature Dr. Sumaya Al Maadeed, Asma Zeinel, and Talib Ghuloom. The second session, “Making Big Ideas Simple”, will host Linda Booth Sweeney and Fatima Al Mazrouei.
Kicking off activities on Thursday, April 24, students will meet author and cartoonist Stephan Pastis in the Thought Hall. The day will also include a seminar titled “Little Minds… Big Dreams” at the Culture Forum, presented by Shane Lee, Amal Al Hangari, and Iman Al Yousuf, as well as a seminar on “Building the Narrative: The Essential Role of Picture Books” with Rahat Kadouji, Bara’a Al Awar, and Dr. Abdullah Al Sharhan.
Friday, April 25, will see the Culture Forum host a seminar titled “Choosing the Right Book for Your Little Reader”, presented by Colin Nielsen, Samina Mishra, Dr. Ahlam Nuywar, and Nadia Al Najjar. A panel discussion titled “Writing for Well-being” will also feature Karina Patel-Sage and Khalaf Ahmed Khalaf.
Events continue on Saturday, April 26, with literary agent Janna Morishima conducting a workshop titled “Graphic Novels for Reading Fluency: Using Visual Storytelling to Build Stronger Readers “. The Culture Forum will also host “Stories That Unite” with Rhonda Roumani, Al Hassan Bin Mouna, Dr. Nizar Al Qamari, and Badriya Al Shamsi. Additionally, a session on “The Creative Journey of Stephan Pastis” will take place.
Nicola Morgan will explore teenage thinking in a workshop titled “Unlocking the Teenage mind: Insights with Nicola Morgan” on Sunday, April 27. The day’s highlights also include a seminar titled “Poetry and Language Development” with Abdo Al Zarra, Amal Nasser, and Asia Abdellawi, along with “Navigating the Storm” featuring Nicola Morgan and Dr. Asmaa Alaa El-Din.
On Monday, April 28, Elisabetta Dami will meet with students in the Thought Hall. At the Culture Forum, “Beyond Imagination” will be presented by Sarwat Chadda, Dr. Fatima Zahra Ben Arab, Maitha Al Khayat, and Hessa Al Muhairi. Also scheduled are “The Charm of Rhymes in Children’s Books” with Sital Gorasia Chapman and Bara’a Al Awar, and “Education Systems and Students’ Creativity” with Sehrish Farooq, Fatima Al Bannani, Dima Al Alami, Maryam Al Sharaf, and Philip Manning.
As part of Tuesday’s agenda, Nicola Morgan will return for another student session in the Thought Hall. Meanwhile, at the Culture Forum, Rukhsana Khan will lead a workshop titled “Creative Writing – How to Write a Bestseller”. The day will also include “The Power of Picture Books” with Chloe Savage, Shaimaa Al Qallaf, Khalid Al Khawar, and Pete Ferry, as well as “Building Strong Foundations” with Maryam Shah, Fatima Al Bannani, and Mohammed Al Hassan Al Sajjad, followed by “Family Counselling: How to Build Healthy Relationships” presented by Aisha Abdullah.
On Wednesday, April 30, a student session with Varun Duggirala will take place in the Thought Hall, alongside “Turning Media into a Creative Superpower,” featuring Amrita Gandhi, Munajat Al Tayyib, Sarah Taleb Al Suhail, and Ahmed Al Aidarous. Another highlight is “Is the Tradition of Bedtime Stories Fading Away?” with Rukhsana Khan, Amal Al Hangari, and Dr. Maysa Ghadeer.
Heading into Thursday, May 1, the Thought Hall will host a meeting with C.G. Salamander. At the Culture Forum, an exclusive seminar will be presented by Sanith Santhasa Piyadigamage, followed by two additional sessions: “Why Graphic Novels Win Over Young Readers” with C.G. Salamander, Maryam Al Ghaffli, Lavanya Karthik, Fatima Bukhamsin, and Abdulaziz Othman; and “Determinng Children’s Hidden Talents Through Reading” featuring Hannah Lee, Dr. Amani Al Najem, Lina Al Dossouki, and Muthoni Garla.
On Friday, May 2, the Culture Forum will feature “Nature Stories” with Brendan Wenzel, Dr. Ihab Al Qastawi, and Fatima Salem Al Suwaidi. This will be followed by “Crafting Stories That Resonate with Today’s Children” with Andrea Rowe, Maryam Hassan, Dr. Bayan Amro, and Fatima Al Amri, and “Fostering Emotional Intelligence from an Early Age” with Varun Duggirala, Sarah Al Dhafiri, and Maya Al Hawari.
Saturday, May 3, will include the “Inter-School Bait Bazi Championship” in the Thought Hall and “Beyond the Manuscript: Navigating Self-Publishing Success” with Christophe Sacco. In the Culture Forum, “Celebrating the strength of Family Bonds” will feature Aarti Khatwani Bhatia, Dr. Mohammed Al Maamari, and Mohammed Al Shaer.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, May 4, with BriBooks presenting the UAE National Young Authors Exhibition. This finale will include a book launch and exhibition featuring Shantanu Pathak and Kashish Chaula.
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