Published On:Sunday, 31 March 2019
Posted by ARAB GAZETTE. weekly newspaper issued on Sunday morning - London, UNITED KINGDOMمؤسسة الوطن العربى الإعلامية - لندن ، المملكة المتحدة . WA MEDIA FOUNDATION - LONDON, UK
Read to your children’, urges director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Read to your children’, urges director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
ARAB GAZETTE - BY: Dana Moukhallati, DUBAI
A child is never too young for a story, and mums and dads should pick up a book and read to their children as soon as they are born.
Isobel Abulhoul, chief executive and trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, said parents should read to their children as early as possible.
"I would advise parents to read to their children from the moment they’re born and continue long after they’ve learnt to read," said Ms Abulhoul at a reading event hosted by the Dubai Women Establishment at the Dubai Ladies Club.
"From when [my children] were born, they would lie or sit on my lap and we would share a book together. What message are you sending? You are saying that this is very important."
Ms Abulhoul, who came to the UAE in 1968, has spent most of her life promoting reading and writing with a focus on children.
"The gift of reading for [pleasure] is priceless and one that we should all try to give to the next generations," she said, adding that she spends just as much time reading children’s books as she does reading more grown up titles.
Ms Abulhoul said there are challenges that need to be addressed to encourage children to read, especially in Arabic.
"I see a challenge with many people not being educated in their mother tongue," she said. "I also think there should be more [production] of books in Arabic that are interesting and exciting."
Ms Abulhoul, who was awarded the Cultural Personality of the Year by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, in 2010, credits her parents for her passion for books.
"It started with my parents, both were avid readers and books were always there," she said. "Books have always been warm, creative, and a place to escape to.
"I was so fortunate in my parents that their love for books was transferred to me and my brother. I can’t imagine a house without books in it.
"If you want to do well in any field, be it marketing, engineering, science, reading is going to help you. Statistics show that any child that reads for pleasure will usually outperform their peers and are more empathetic and tolerant."
The UAE leadership designated 2016 as the Year of Reading to create a generation of book lovers and to establish the country as a global hub for culture and knowledge.
In addition to recently honouring 45 Emirati individuals and entities that contributed to the UAE Year of Reading at the UAE Pioneers Award 2016 ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, issued a decree to establish the Mohammed bin Rashid library, the largest library in the Arab world, in Dubai.
Shamsa Saleh, chief executive of Dubai Women Establishment, lauded the UAE’s keenness to develop its people’s knowledge and culture.
"The vision of our wise leadership is to ensure sustainable development and a future full of prosperity, establishing the UAE among the most advanced nations in the world," she said.
Ms Saleh said that reading is key to the nation’s development and a source of inspiration for innovative and creative ideas.
As the Year of Reading comes to a close teachers, students, and officials have pledged to continue promoting reading in their communities and to instil a passion for the written word among their friends and colleagues.
