Sharjah, May 07th, 2011 (WAM)--Kalimat Founder and CEO Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi said that Kalimat works to provide the materials, environment and skills for children so that they can discover the joy of books, and promote Arabic culture and literacy.
"By involving ourselves in this month-long celebratory campaign through various readings and activities we wanted to not only honour the authors and illustrators who create childrens books that open up portals to undiscovered places, but also to honour the children who enthusiastically pore over the colourful pages of these books each day."This came during the conclusion of Kalimat sessions at the International Children's Book Day, which featured various events. Sharjah-based Kalimat, the first publishing house in the UAE dedicated solely to publishing and distributing quality Arabic children's books, participated actively through various events in a month-long celebratory campaign to mark International Childrens Book day which fell on 2 April. Kalimats campaign contributed to efforts by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) to celebrate International Children's Book Day. The International Board on Books for Young People has chosen this date to raise awareness of children's literature and to inspire a love of reading among children as it is the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen who delighted children worldwide with his fairy tales such as Thumbelina and The Ugly Duckling. Throughout April Kalimat participated in four events, the first of which was a reading by author Marwa Al Aqroubi from her book "Ahmed El Helou" at Qanat Al Qasba on 3 April. Another Kalimat author, Abir Ballan read her book "Wazifat Mama" a tribute to homemaker mums at the Emirates International School in Jumeirah on 19 April. Kalimat further provided assistance during a reading of "Maharjan Al Kitab" prior to an illustration workshop that took place at The Shelter in The Maraya Art Centre in Al Qasba on 23 April. The illustration workshop was held by Rafael Lopez, who won the 2010 Pua Belpre Illustrator Award given by the American Library Association for his work on this book. He will be shortly working on one of Kalimats heritage books based on Emirati cultureThe month long fiesta concluded with author Maitha Al Khayyat reading from her book "Tareeqati Al Khassa" on the last day of the month, 30 April at Kan Ya Ma Kan Bookstore - a store that is dedicated exclusively to Arabic books in Al Ettihad Mall. The book is all about little Hamda who has fun trying out different ways to tie a sheila with her four sisters and the reading was attended by over 30 kids who enjoyed trying their own ways to tie the lovely sheilas Maitha brought along for the reading. In association with this campaign Kalimat also worked on the English-Arabic translation of the book "Maherjan Al Kitab" for the Department of Culture. Kalimat is the first publishing house in the UAE dedicated solely to publishing and distributing high-quality Arabic books for children aged 0 to 16 years. With a portfolio of internationally acclaimed authors and illustrators, Kalimats extensive range of books highlights traditional Arabic culture alongside the modern challenges faced by todays children, with the aims of engendering a life-long love of reading and Arabic literature among Arab children.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2011.
