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.
The 16th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival has transformed Expo Centre Sharjah into a wonderland of imagination, collaboration, and hands-on learning for all ages
Sharjah, April 27, 2025
The 16th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) is in full swing, and its vibrant workshops are proving a magnet for creativity, laughter, and boundless self-expression. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the Bucket Hat workshop—a joyful haven where children aged six and above were invited to turn simple white cotton hats into a kaleidoscope of personal expression.
During a dinner that brought together diplomats, Sharjah officials, and representatives of major Belgian companies operating in the region
Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi: Non-oil trade between the UAE and the European Union continues to record stable growth rates, with Belgium emerging as a key partner within this framework.
Sharjah, April 25, 2025
As part of its ongoing efforts to advance economic and trade cooperation with Belgium, the Department of Government Relations (DGR) in Sharjah hosted an official dinner at The Chedi Al Bait Hotel. The event was held in the presence of Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Chairman of DGR, and H.E. Antoine Delcourt, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the United Arab Emirates, alongside diplomats, investors, and senior officials from both sides.
To enhance the emirate’s position as a global leader in real estate investment and expand the horizons of international cooperation.
The initiative is part of the ‘Real Estate i’ Dubai Real Estate Promotion Strategy, led by DLD throughout the year across several cities around the world.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 26 April 2025: As part of a strategic move to enhance Dubai’s position as a global leader in real estate investment, Dubai Land Department (DLD), in collaboration with Q4 Consultants and IIFL Group, organised the ‘Dubai Real Estate Connect’ initiative in the Indian capital, New Delhi. The event was held in the presence of His Excellency Dr Abdul Nasser Al Shaali, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of India, and brought together a distinguished group of leading investors, entrepreneurs, and key decision-makers from India’s real estate sector.
UAE News 24/7 