All You Need to Know About 2023's Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

Abu Dhabi will host the International Book Fair Education Program 2023 from May 22^nd to 28^th.

Below we will let you know all details about the event:

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

During the book fair, the Emirates Literature Foundation will organize an exciting mix of educational and cultural sessions that will last for 45 to 50 minutes each.

Each session will be followed by a book signing and the students will have the opportunity to purchase the authors' books either before or after the session.

All sessions are free to attend and you can register from here.

You will find here some of the sessions’ titles that will take place at the book fair:

Hello Mr. Gum!

Location: Stage One
Age: 7+

The multi award-winning children’s author Andy Stanton will tell us about the Mr. Gum, the hero of the hilariously anarchic rhyming story, who hates everyone and lives in a disgusting tip of a house.

Stanton will give us an insight into Mr. Gum’s childhood and how he became a writer.

The session will take place on May 22^nd from 10:30am to 11:30am.

Exhaust Some Energy!

Location: Stage One
Age: 6+

Exhaust Some Energy! by Colette Barr and Leona Collins who will tell us how we can help make our world a cleaner place in their fun filled, inspiring session full of laughs, prizes and awesome energy.

The session will take place on May 22^nd from 12pm to 13pm.

Junior Spotlight

Location: Education Stage

Age: All Ages

Children who are interested to perform in one of the fair’s Junior Spotlight sessions can register their school’s interest and the education team will be in contact to confirm the success of students’ performance and other details.

Teachers and parents can also book to attend the performance as an audience.

This session will take place from 16pm to 17pm during all days of the book fair.

Citrus the Smoothie Sloth

Location: Stage Two
Age: 6+

Ebtisam Al-Beiti will read Citrus the Smoothie Sloth in an interactive and fun way for young children, encouraging them to be more adventurous in trying new tastes.

The session will take place on the second day of the book fair from 9am to 10am.

Sisters of the Lost Marsh

Location: Stage One
Age: 12+

The award-winning children’s author Lucy Strange will be sharing the inspiration behind this eerie, twisty tale and her other books for readers, including ancient curses, folklore, poetry, art and dramatic British landscapes.

The session will take place on the second day of the book fair from 9:30am to 10:30am.

Together We Can Change the World

Location: Stage One
Age: 6+

Beverly Jatwani will highlight the issue of endangered animals in an accessible way; in each story a child forms a connection with a different animal, spread across the seven continents.

Jatwani is the co-founder of the Middle East’s first green children’s nursery, and to then write a series of children’s books that capture the innate love and affinity that children have with Mother Earth.

The session will take place on the second day of the book fair from 11am to 12pm.

Don’t Ask the Dragon

Location: Stage One
Age: 6+

Don’t Ask the Dragon is by the British Academy Film Awards-nominated poet, playwright, memoirist, performer and broadcaster Lemn Sissay and the illustrator, street artist and visual development UK artist Greg Stobbs .

During this session you will enjoy the hero Alem, who wants somewhere to celebrate his birthday – but where should he go? Maybe the bear, the fox, the tree frog or the bulldog.

But what about the dragon … Should Alem ask him, or might he be just too scary?

The session will take place on the third day of the book fair from 9am to 10pm.

The Wintrish Girl

Location: Stage One
Age: 8+

The Australian author Join Melanie La’Brooy will tell us what inspired her to create this brand new series of gripping adventures about a girl who sometimes doesn’t quite know where she fits into the world.

The session will take place on the third day of the book fair from 11am to 12pm.

Rebel of the Sands

Location: Stage Two
Age: 14+

The Canadian fantasy fiction author Alwyn Hamilton will tell us the story of the sixteen-year-old Amani Al’Hiza who has the elemental power to control the sands of the desert.

The session will take place on the third day of the book fair from 12pm to 13pm.

Hop Lola Hop

Location: Stage One
Age: 6+

The multilingual journalist and the author of the Hop Lola Hop series Kathy Urban will amaze us with a story of the adventurous bunny Lola who loves to hop, hop, hop and join her best friend Ella on their adventures, but sometimes she hops a little too far.

The session will take place on the fourth day of the book fair from 9am to 10am.

Book-Busting

Location: Stage Two
Age: 10+

The award-winning author Ali Sparkes will give the audience a funny and interactive session, with lots of comedy, perfect for anyone who loves an exciting read.

A Twiggy Harmful Thingy

Location: Education Stage
Age: 6+

Author Elif Yonat Toğay will read her story A Twiggy Harmful Thing during a funny and engaging session that will shed light on the harmful effects of plastic on our planet, and how little changes in our daily lives can make a big difference.

The session will take place on the fourth day of the book fair from 9:30am to 10:30am.

Voices of Future Generations: How to make the world a better place from our child authors

Location: Stage One
Age:6+

Two young authors will tell us their passion for creating a better world to heart by writing winning stories inspired by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

Any child who could make his/her vision for the future into an adventure story can enter the Voices of Future Generations competition.

The winning stories of Voices of Future Generations for the Middle East Region are now available for all to read in a beautifully produced collection in Arabic and English, illustrated by UAE-based artists.

The session will take place on the fourth day of the book fair from 10:30am to 11:30am.

Children of the Quicksands

Location: Stage One
Age: 10+

Efua will take us on a mystical journey to Nigeria, weaving together modern life and Nigerian folklore in her richly imagined magical realist adventures Children of the Quicksands and The House of Shells.

The session will take place on the fourth day of the book fair from 12pm to 13pm.