The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature joined the Sharjah Book Authority’s (SBA) stand at the 40th edition of the Kuwait International Book Fair which concluded recently. The Award, organized by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and sponsored by Etisalat, is one of the most prestigious prizes dedicated to children’s literature in the Arab world.President of UAEBBY Executive Board, Marwa Obaid Al Aqroubi, said, “We are very pleased with our participation in the Kuwait International Book Fair. It provided us with an opportunity to meet with a large number of professionals in the field of children’s and young adults’ literature and share views and expertise with them. We made the best use of our participation in the fair to familiarize the book industry community about the award, its idea and purpose, as well as to engage with professionals and people interested in the children's book industry, to forge partnerships with them and to further improve children's literature in the Arab world.”
During the Kuwait International Book Fair, the Etisalat Award’s booth in the SBA’s stand highlighted the winning books of the 7th edition of the award which included "The Judge's Mule" written by Shafeek Mehdi, illustrated by Taiba Abdullah and published by Iraqi-based Al Buragh Publisher, won the title Children's Book of the Year and the Best Production Award. While “Getting out of the Bubble", written by Ibrahim Shalabi and published by Egyptian Al Balsam won the Young Adult Book Award."Me and My Granny", written and illustrated by Ebtihaj Al Harthi and published by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, won the Best Text Award, while the Best Illustration Award went to "Nour Runs Away from the Story", written by Abeer Ali Al Kalbani, illustrated by Gulnar Hajo, and published by Syria-based Bright Fingers.
The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature was launched in 2009 by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, UAEBBY Founder and Patron. The award aims to foster a culture of reading and instill a love of Arabic books in children by giving recognition to creative works by authors, illustrators and publishers that deal with contemporary topics enriching children’s literature. It also seeks to stimulate authors, illustrators and publishers to be creative, thereby encouraging the production of more high quality Arabic children’s books.