The much-liked Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is about to begin and the excitement among children has been at its peak. What is causing more excitement among these young readers is the line-up of authors and publishers this year.

Organized by Sharjah Book Authority from May 19 to 29 at Expo Centre Sharjah, this year the book festival is themed ‘For Your Imagination’ and will see the participation of 27 authors and 172 publishers from around 15 nations.

One of the most awaited authors is New York-based Japanese manga artist Misako Rocks will talk about her journey as a published artist and also talk about her current work ‘Bounce Back.’ Another prominent American author and illustrator of The Yeti Files, Kevin Sherry, will also attend the festival in person. American author and illustrator of This is How I do it, Matt Lamothe will also be present for the event in person.

 
Other well-known authors include Swaady Martin, a serial entrepreneur and activist from the Ivory Coast, New York Times best-seller writer and illustrator Colombian Claudia Reuda, illustrator and designer and author of Leila in Saffron and Sleeping Beauty, Dinara Mirtalipova from Uzbekistan, Pakistani author of The Cosmos That Allah has Changed, Zenubia Arsalan, founder and lead writer of the Greenfeet Guides and American author Ambika Anand Prakop.

While some will attend the book festival in person, some authors will mark their presence virtually including UK-based actor-producer, screenwriter, musician and author of KID: A History of the Future Sebastian de Souza, Fransie Franden, writer, illustrator and graphic designer and author of Do Grannies Have Green Fingers?, Katie and Kevin Tsang, writers of children and young adult novels, including Sam Wu is NOT Afraid, author of A Pocketful of Stars, Aisha Bushby and Wereworld writer and designer of the BAFTA-winning Bob the Builder Curtis Jobling.