The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA), in collaboration with Magrudy’s Bookstore, will hold a children’s storytelling event on Thursday, 27th December featuring the talented Emirati author Hessa Al Muhairi, who will narrate her award-winning story ‘The Dinoraf’.
The storytelling session, which will take place at Magrudy’s Jumeirah, is part of the Award’s series of events promoting children’s literature which aim to instill values of tolerance in young people.
Al Muhairi will narrate her SZBA award-winning story with simultaneous English translation provided by Syrian translator and theatre actress Hala Bassar.
‘The Dinoraf’ tells the tale of a dinosaur on a mission to find his counterpart amongst the other animals. His journey of discovering, where he learns the differences between animals, finally leads him to form a connection with the giraffe, hence the “Dinoraf”. The story is a unique portrayal of the contemporary case for peaceful coexistence and the mutual acceptance of cultural differences.
“His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, announced 2019 as the ‘Year of Tolerance’ in order to reinforce our deeply-held values of peaceful co-existence and open dialogue among people from different cultures,” said Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Secretary General of Sheikh Zayed Book Award. “The Sheikh Zayed Book Award prides itself in serving this wise vision through organising cultural events, locally and internationally, that promote and disseminate these ideals.
“The father of our nation, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, set out to ensure that reading and literature remained an important and enduring aspect of our culture. When the Sheikh Zayed Book Award was founded in 2006, a key decision was the inclusion of a prize for the best children’s literature, so that year-on-year we can continue to instill a love of books in younger generations.”
The co-founder of Magrudy’s Bookstore, Isobel Abulhoul, said: “Magrudy’s bookshops have always, in their long history, had a key focus on children’s literature, and we ensure that Arabic children’s books are prominently displayed. Magrudy’s is honoured to partner with the Sheikh Zayed Book Award to celebrate the winner of the children’s prize, and hope that this will further encourage children to fall in love with reading.”
As well as being a winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Al Muhairi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a double Masters in Education Management and Policy from Deakin University Australia. Working as a nursery teacher since her graduation, Al Muhairi has participated in many children’s literature workshops and managed a number of training programmes. She has two published books for children: ‘Whose Footprints Are These?’ and ‘The Dinoraf’.
