The UAE made a debut in silent books publishing by bringing out three homegrown wordless picture books with the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), recently.
The three titles include --
Night and Day written by Emirati writer and illustrator Alia Al Shamsi, and published by Al Hudhud Publishing and Distribution;
Fly, written and illustrated by Alia Al Badi, and published by Al Fulk Translation and Publishing; and
Oh! Its Becoming Bigger written and illustrated by Aisha Al Badi and published by Al Fulk Translation and Publishing.
The Silent Books project was started by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in Lampedusa in the year 2012. Lampedusa is the largest Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea and is the prime gateway for African and Middle Eastern refugees who are making their way into Europe. The initiative themed ‘Silent Books, from the world to Lampedusa and back' was aimed at providing refugee children on the island with a collection of wordless picture books to flip through, interact with and enjoy, irrespective of their mother tongue, read a statement.
UAEBBY's support for these books is in line with its commitment to developing the capabilities of illustrators and writers of children’s literature in the UAE, the statement read.
“We are happy to have facilitated the release of the first Emirati silent books, which are such a powerful medium of communication with children, no matter their age, background or literacy levels. The images in these books spark children’s imaginations and are open to their unique interpretation. We hope this initiative will motivate several other Emirati writers and illustrators to give these kinds of books with unrivalled human and social dimensions a try, and through their work, they will help build bridges between diverse civilisations and cultures,” Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY, said in a statement.
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