Culture & Education | Sunday 24 April, 2016 6:07 pm |

‘Turn off the Lights,’ a title published by Kalimat House - an imprint of Kalimat Group that is dedicated to publishing and distributing Arabic printed and electronic books for children - has won the third Arab Children's Book Publisher's Forum Award in the ‘Best Children’s Book’ category.

 

Written by Emirati author Maitha Al Khayat, Turn off the Lights scooped the first place prize after being judged the best book for children aged 6 years and under. The title was selected from among several children's books submitted by Arab publishing houses for the award, which aims to enrich the Arab children’s book library and motivate publishers to provide the best literary products for young people. 

 

Kalimat received the honouring during the award ceremony held yesterday on the sidelines of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, which is taking place at Sharjah Expo Centre and runs until April 30. The ceremony was attended by HE Noura Al Noman, Director of the Executive Office of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, HE Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, Rashid Al Kous, General Manager of Knowledge without Borders and a number of Arab authors and publishers.

 

HE Noura Al Noman presented the Best Children’s Book award to Tamer Said, Managing Director of Kalimat Group, in the presence of members of the Board of Directors of Arab Children’s Book Publishers Forum and the third edition of the award’s judging panel.

 

Turn off the Lights tells the story of a little boy living in a big farm filled with animals and surrounded by green fields and nature. The protagonist spends most of his time playing with the animals and refuses to sleep away from them. Every evening his mother asks him to go to his bed but he always sneaks out at night with a lamp into the animal barn, where he tries to wake the animals and play with them. But the animals always tell him “Please turn off lights.”

 

Expressing his delight at Kalimat's win at the Arab Children's Book Publisher's Forum, Tamer Said said; "It was an honour to have received such recognition. Winning this prestigious award will encourage us to advance Kalimat's literary output, to continue with developing our publications and to look for new ideas relating to children's literature in the Arab world. This honour is particularly significant for us because it comes from an organisation that has developed a reputation for advancing children's literature in the region.”

 

Writer Maitha Al Khayat said; “There can be no greater tribute than having your creative work win an award at the highest level, so to say that I am delighted with the success of Turn off the Lights at the third edition of the Arab Children’s Book Publishers Forum would be something of an understatement. This is a huge motivation for me to continue with my work, which I gear toward the younger age range of reader.” 

 

The Arab Children's Book Publisher's Forum was established in Sharjah in 2013 under the umbrella of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. The organisation aims to upgrade the profession of children’s book publishing and broaden avenues of cooperation between Arab publishers involved in the children’s book industry. The platform, which includes 100 publishing houses from various Arab countries, seeks to develop the children’s book industry in terms of form and content.   

Kalimat is a publishing house in the UAE dedicated to publishing and distributing Arabic children’s books. With a portfolio of internationally-acclaimed and award-winning authors and illustrators, Kalimat has produced numerous titles with engaging narratives and vibrant illustrations that highlight the values of family, friendship, simplicity and happiness.