A record number of 33 authors and literati from 18 countries will participate in the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, SCRF, that will unveil its 11th annual edition on 17th April, 2019
SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 05th Apr, 2019) A record number of 33 authors and literati from 18 countries will participate in the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, SCRF, that will unveil its 11th annual edition on 17th April, 2019.
The 11-day cultural celebration for children and young adults organised by Sharjah Book Authority, SBA, will see these authors bring together education, knowledge, and culture, all under one roof at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
The stellar line-up features Elisabetta Dami, international best-selling children’s author from Italy, whose adventure stories featuring Geronimo Stilton – the mouse, have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold over 180 million copies worldwide. Also present will be the #1 New York Times bestseller and award-winning children’s author, Carole Boston Weatherford, the African-American writer with 50-plus titles under her belt, including three Caldecott Honor winners.
Children’s book author and visual learning strategist, Stuart J. Murphy from the United States will also be among the big Names to watch out for.
From the US, Salina Yoon, bestselling author and illustrator of over 160 books for children, with over 4.5 million books sold worldwide; Neal Shusterman, whose novel Scythe won the Michael L. Printz Honor book in 2017; and Shannon and Dean Hale, the New York Times bestselling wife-and-husband duo that created the Princess in Black series, are also among key guests at the festival.
A huge group of authors from the US are participating in the festival this year, which includes names like Stephen Ritz, who is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning educator and author of best-selling book, The Power of A Plant.
Joining him is acclaimed picture books author, Hena Khan, whose Amina’s Voice won the Best Book of 2017 by the Washington Post. Multi-talented children’s book illustrator, Jeffery Boston Weatherford; Librarian, Blogger, and Graphic designer Carter Higgins are also among the luminaries on the list.
Finally, YA novelist, John Coy, and Brendan Wenzel, with literary hits such as Hello and They All Saw a Cat complete the North American line-up.
The line-up from the United Kingdom includes Zanib Mian whose work Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet has featured on BBC's CBeebies Bedtime Stories and The Guardian; Maggie Li, illustrator and art director who specialises in bold, graphic illustration with a focus on visual storytelling.
Also, Rehan Khan who is an avid observer of history, and has authored A Tudor Turk; David MacPhail who has published many books for children and shot to fame with Vikings in Britain, and Nikki Sheehan, known for her novels and poetry that are unique in the way they stir creativity.
Featuring on the UK’s guest list are multi-talented, Ruby Lovell, children's author, scriptwriter, songwriter and a TV/film producer with documentaries and a feature film under her belt, and Chicken Whisperer’s author and literary agent, Sam Copeland, along with Sonya Saidman, who is credited for a decade-long career in children’s property licencing and has been on Marvel’s sales and marketing team, and Frann Preston-Gannon, multi-award winning author and illustrator from London.
Popular YA fiction writer, Catherine Doyle, whose debut novel The Storm Keeper’s Island, has been dubbed as a "magical new voice in fantasy" joins the event from Ireland.
Sergei Urban from Latvia will be visiting too. His debut book, TheDadLab: 40 Quick, Fun and Easy Activities to Do at Home, is receiving great admiration of young readers.
Sha’an d’Anthes, an illustrator, artist, and author will be joining the illustrious line-up from Sydney. Her debut picture book, ZOOM, introduces children to different planets in the solar system in a visual and playful way.
Flying in from New Zealand are international best-selling author, Juliette MacIver, who has 18 picture books to her credit, and has won an award for her picture book That’s Not a Hippopotamus; and Ruth Paul, who, along with being a famous writer and illustrator, also dabbles into costume illustration, with the Peter Jackson movies to her credit.
Well-known names from India include Arundhati Venkatesh who is one of India’s most-loved children’s author who writes about football fans and lunchbox looters, tooth troubles and lie detectors. Ramendra Kumar, award-winning children’s writer with 35 books to his credit, and inspirational speaker and performance storyteller.
Siddhartha Sarma, whose first teen novel, The Grasshopper's Run, won the Crossword Book Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature; Andaleeb Wajid who has published 18 novels for adults, young adults and children in the last ten years; and Moin Shadab who is a renowned poet, journalist, producer, announcer and broadcaster at Sahara TV’s Alami Samay urdu news Channel.
Coming in from Pakistan are well-known radio presenter, tv and theatre artist and author, Yasmin Tahir; and Naeem Tahir who served as the Chief Executive at the Pakistan National Council of Arts, Ministry of Culture.
