Every year March is observed as the Month of Reading in the UAE. It is marked by a rich and diverse calendar of engaging activities and sustainable initiatives that motivate the community to read.

Its aim is to enrich and support the knowledge and cultural infrastructure in UAE and build a future generation of leaders equipped with culture and knowledge.

Over on the LoveReading LitFest recently, it was brilliant to be able to support this annual initiative by presenting a very special event, organised in collaboration with the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

The formidable Managing Director of the UK-based publishing company Saqi Books, Lynn Gaspard, and the winner of the SZBA Children’s Literature category in 2018, Hessa Al Mehairi, based in Dubai, were able to get together to make some fabulous book recommendations. Chatting with international publishing consultant, Emma House, both speakers shared two and a half (yes, two and a HALF!) books, that are already translated into English from Arabic, to celebrate UAE Reading Month and to encourage viewers to try something new.

Lynn Gaspard’s recommendations:

Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani

“A really harrowing, beautifully-told story of Palestinian refugees trying to smuggle into Kuwait from Iraq… I think it’s important to remember other refugees in the world.”

Desert Songs of the Night: 1500 Years of Arabic Literature

“It’s a brilliant book and a really excellent place to start for anyone. It covers all the key writers over the centuries.”

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

“It follows the story of a young Syrian boy during the war and it’s very touching.”

Hessa Al Mehairi’s recommendations:

Dana’s Journey by Salha Ghabish

“It really helps children to feel encouraged to follow their dreams and explore new possibilities.”

When A Camel Gets The Munchies by Maitha Al Khayat

“The nice thing about it is it’s rhyming. So, it’s really funny how fussy the camel gets in the story because he wants to eat a sort of traditional Emirati sweet and he keeps refusing any other type of food until he’s given the sweet that he wants.”

Good Night by Ameera Bu Kadra

“The thing about this one is it’s nice for the children whose parents are separated because it talks about how her parents are living in two separate houses.”

The shortlist for the 16th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has now been revealed, take a look at our blog here, and if you’re interested in further recommendations, in particular books by women in translation from the Arabic language, we recommend browsing on this article on the Reading with KT blog.