Dubai Festival City Mall gets 'Reading Box'

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Do you love books? Are you a fan of shopping too? If so, you can now join the two together thanks to Festival City Mall's newest addition - a special pop-up 'Reading Box'.

The small-scale library-cum-workshop-cum-hangout spot has been created in Dubai for the National Month of Reading.

Whether you want to join in on an interactive workshop or simply just sit down with a book and read, the third edition of this unique reading initiative aims to bring a whole new shopping experience to the young and the old across Dubai.

Take 4-year-old Mayed Hassan for instance. On the day Khaleej Times visited the two-week pop-up box, he read four books in the space of 30 minutes. And that's more than he has ever read before.

"When I'm at home, I don't read much. I have no one to read with. Today, I got to read lots", he said.

Although Hassan admitted that he wasn't the biggest fan of reading, he said it was simply because he doesn't have many books to practice with. But now he is keen to do more reading.

"I want to start reading with my brother. My favourite books are animal books and I am glad I got to read in the mall today", he added.

Organised by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, through the Dubai Public Library, this year's 'Reading Box' theme is: 'A generation reads. A civilisation rises'.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on Wednesday, Dr Hissa Ahmed Binmasoud said the aim is to reintroduce reading into the community in a different way.

"We realised malls are places people love to go. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai once mentioned that to provide a service to people, you need to go to them, you can't sit and wait for them to come to you. So, here we are."

In 2017, the initiative hosted reading sessions and workshops for more than 4,000 children and adults down at the City Walk. But this year, with the introduction of new sessions and labs, it is looking to surpass that number.

"We want to spread knowledge so this year we have introduced 'Creative Labs'. These labs are aimed at kids and they will come up with ideas on how to make reading more fun and engaging. We'll then take the best ideas and make them a reality."

From introducing new books to libraries and recommending new activities to host, the 'Reading Box's' Creative Labs are putting children in the driving seat.

"Public libraries need to be creative hubs, not just places that store books. Initiatives like this introduce the idea of reading in a way kids like and want," Binmasoud said.

And with today's face paced lifestyle, it is imperative that we move away from the traditional norms of reading and innovate them in a modern way.

When asked what the next step is for Dubai Public Libraries, Binmasoud said they want to explore how school libraries and public libraries can collaborate better.

"We want to encourage more field visits to public libraries from schools and we want to go into schools and become a part of their libraries too, by bringing in workshops and labs for students."

The initiative will run from March 14 to 27 at the Dubai Festival City Mall.