Category Archives: Sharjah Children Reading Festival

Picture books are the heart of nurturing a child’s imagination: Authors at SCRF 2025

The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is a home for books and a forum for in-depth discussions on every aspect of a child’s world

  • Dr Abdullah AlSharhaan: Before writing for others, write for yourself and the child within you. If you enjoy it, so will future generations.
  • Raahat Kaduji: My advice to young creatives is to be brave with your ideas, don’t worry about how you’ll be perceived.
  • Bara’ Al-‘Aawour: Through illustration, we offer children a soft power—the courage and resilience to overcome life’s difficulties.

Sharjah, April 25, 2025

At the ongoing 16th annual Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2025), a panel of acclaimed illustrators and storytellers convened to explore the essential and often overlooked role of picture books in shaping young minds. Moderated by writer and critic Tasneem Zeyad, ‘Building the Narrative: The Essential Role of Picture Books’ brought together three distinct voices: Palestinian illustrator Bara’ Al-‘Aawour, British author and illustrator Raahat Kaduji, and pioneering Kuwaiti artist and children’s media specialist Dr Abdullah AlSharhaan.

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Expert panel at SCRF 2025 explores how curiosity fuels creativity

At a Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival panel discussion, Xin Li, Eman AlYousaf, and Amal Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Hanqari explore how media and cultural identity shape minds of children—and why listening may be the most powerful tool of all


Sharjah, April 25, 2025   

An educator, author and an illustrator got together on Thursday at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) 2025 to drive home why curiosity isn’t just a phase but, in fact, the foundation of lifelong learning.

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From Miami to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival: Chef D brings Cuban comfort food to young foodies

American culinary star rustles up the classic Picadillo at SCRF 2025, showing aspiring chefs how mastering global flavours can start right in their own kitchens


Sharjah, April 25, 2025

It was an early brunch for many as the scent of sizzling spices and sweet peppers filled the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2025) on Thursday, thanks to the ever-smiling chef Dario Stephen who turned the festival’s Cookery Corner at into a giant cauldron.

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Young children turn into sleuths and cyber guardians at SCRF 2025

The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is free to attend and promises a wealth of experiences and workshops for families and educators alike

Sharjah, April 25, 2025

The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) witnessed a buzz of excitement as young school students became cyber detectives for the day, participating in one of the 12-day festival’s many hands-on workshops, ‘Password Cracking’. The session tasked each child with a unique challenge: to crack the password on a simulated portal using only the clues and tools provided.

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