The 13th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), which will take place at the emirate’s Expo Center from May 11 to 22, will feature a cultural program led by a group of 25 well-known children’s authors from five continents.
The annual festival for children and youth, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), this year’s theme is “Create Creativity.”
Kyle Balda, an American animator, and film director who co-directed children’s films like Minions and did the animation for Despicable Me and Jumanji, will be one of the festival’s guests.
Ken Spillman, the author of the best-selling Big Noah Little Boa and the author of 90 books overall, is also attending the SCRF.
In addition to Sebastian de Souza, the actor-author who wrote the time-traveling adventure story Kid: A History of the Future, British author-illustrator Curtis Jobling, best known as the designer of the Bob the Builder TV show, will be a celebrity presence at SCRF this year.
Vashti Harrison, author-illustrator of children’s books such as Little Leaders, Little Dreamers, and Little Legends, is also on the list. She has also won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children on two occasions.