Palestinian-Canadian chef Maha Kailani introduced children to an easy and healthy dish at the 16th annual Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, which runs until May 4
Sharjah, April 27, 2025
The richness of Palestine’s culinary heritage was brought to the fore in a flavoursome preparation by Palestinian-Canadian chef Maha Kailani at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2025), on Friday. The session titled “Taste of Palestine: An adventure with chef Maha Kailani” introduced young children and their guardians to authentic flavours from the Palestinian region.
From board books and popup books to colouring books and encyclopedias, the world’s biggest book sale has found a new home at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2025
Sharjah, April 27, 2025
Who would think that an evil character from a children’s fable will be a crowd-puller? Not if it is the Big Bad Wolf from the Little Red Riding Hood story that had regaled millions of children for generations. The world’s biggest book sale, which was introduced to the UAE by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), has come to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2025 (SCRF) for the first time, offering discounts as high as 85% thus giving children and their guardians every reason to fully embrace books and reading.
ATM 2025 set to break records with over 55,000 visitorsat the Dubai World Trade Centre
A truly global event, 67% of exhibitors at ATM represent international markets
ATM Travel Tech has expanded this year to reflect the industry’s growing reliance on technology, and IBTM@ATM,a new event feature for the business events industry, will make its debut
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 27 April 2025:The 32nd edition ofArabian Travel Market (ATM) willopen tomorrow at Dubai World Trade Centre, bringing together more than 2,800 exhibitorsandover 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries. Underscoring the growing importance of ATM inthe global tourism landscape, international exhibitors account for 67% of companies showcased at the event, while the Middle Eastcomprises33% of exhibitors this year.
Janna Morishima explains how visual storytelling changes reluctant readers into passionate book lovers at the ongoing Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival
Sharjah, April 27, 2025
Expert literary agent Janna Morishima emphasised the power of visual storytelling in turning even reluctant readers into passionate bookworms during her inspiring talk “Graphic Novels for Reading Fluency: Using Visual Storytelling to Build Stronger Readers” at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF).
The workshop offers a unique sensory storytelling experience, blending fragrance and creativity at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival
Sharjah, April 27, 2025
Few things are as transportive as scent. One whiff can evoke childhood kitchens, distant gardens, or a memory as vivid as a storybook illustration. At the ongoing Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), this magical connection between aroma, imagination and emotions was introduced through the “Aroma Journey” workshop — an experience so popular that children are queuing up long before the doors open, eager for a chance to become perfumers for a day.
The Aroma Journey is part of a vibrant choice of workshops at the 16th edition of SCRF, each designed to nurture young minds beyond the written word. Here, storytelling unfolds not just on the page, but through all the senses.
Led by Serge Gemayel — string artist, educator, and creative force behind Nomad Workshops — children are invited to journey through the scents and stories of everyday ingredients. “Every ingredient has a distinct taste and smell associated with it,” Gemayel explains, as children inspect different spices on the table. Little hands are encouraged to touch and crush spices such as cinnamon, black peppercorns, cardamom, and cloves, unlocking the intense aromas hidden within seeds and spices that most only encounter in their meals.
The session isn’t merely an olfactory adventure. It’s an exploration of emotion: how scent can comfort, energise, or calm. “Chocolate gives a cosy, happy feeling. Honey is warmth — like a hug from grandma. Lavender soothes you to sleep, mango is pure joy, and orange brings a bouncy brightness,” Gemayel tells the children, who nod in agreement, noses wrinkling in delight.
“I love the Cherry Blossom fragrance. I came to this workshop to learn how to make perfumes — I’ll try it at home!” says 12-year-old Noor Elsayed, diligently crushing cinnamon sticks into a fine, fragrant powder. Around her, the air is thick with the scent of cinnamon, swiftly becoming the day’s most popular note.
Sixteen-year-old Nafesa Farhaana, assisting at the table, prefers cardamom: “It makes me happy,” she smiles, a sentiment echoed by many as they mix and match their signature blends.
The lesson continues with a dash of science and a touch of creativity: “Essential oils aren’t just for perfumes—they’re in soaps and candles, too,” Gemayel says, as the children select their favourite combinations and, with evident pride, decant their personalised perfumes into small glass bottles.
By the workshop’s close, each child emerges a perfumer, clutching a bottle of their own creation—part keepsake, part memory, and wholly theirs. The proud show-and-tell that follows is a festival tradition, the joy unmistakable in every wide-eyed grin.
The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, now in its 16th year at Expo Centre Sharjah, has always championed a holistic approach to childhood development. This year’s line-up — free to attend and running until 4 May—offers a rich mix of workshops, performances, and interactive sessions, each crafted to spark curiosity, creativity, and self-expression across the arts and sciences.
UAE News 24/7 