UAEBBY in cooperation with BQFP

The book is written by Kathryn Cave and illustrated by Chris Riddell, winner of the first international UNESCO prize for Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance. The initiative is part of celebrations organised by UAEBBY to take part throughout April to mark International Children’s Book Day (ICBD), and the book will be distributed to all primary schools in the country by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing very soon. Speaking of the distribution, UAEBBY President Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi said, “Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing’s decision to distribute this important and award-winning children’s book is in line with our shared interest in increasing the popularity of reading among the younger generations – a step we believe will make a significant contribution to cultivating and boosting children’s love for books and reading, developing their mental capabilities and encouraging them to read international literature.” She added that this would help to create a state of multi-cultural communication and improve children’s knowledge and skills by opening them up to different experiences. Ali Mehad Al Suwaidi, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of Education, said: “The Ministry of Education is planning to launch a series of special activities to mark Bloomsbury’s distribution of the books.” “These activities include allocating one hour of free reading and performance of a play staged at the Puppet Theatre. One class in Education Resources Centres will also be dedicated to stories, including reading, storytelling, identifying and defining the goals of stories and what lessons can be learnt from them, and another class to children’s performance of the stories, where each student will be given a role to play under the supervision of Arabic and English language teachers and the Centre’s Secretary”, he added.