Winners of this year’s edition of the Anna Lindh Award for Arabic Books for Children “Read Here, There and Everywhere” will participate in a promotional tour in Jordan and Lebanon from the 19^th to the 24^th of June 2011 aiming at promoting their publication through a programme of activities in bookstores, public libraries and public schools.

This annual award aims to support and encourage the publication of high quality non-translated Arabic Children’s books and is awarded to the best new previously unpublished Arabic Children’s fiction books from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.

The promotional tour will include readings and arts activities in the Hakawati Books and Art, Majdalawi Masterpieces bookstore and the House of Tales and Music in Jordan as well as Librairie Al-Bourj and Arche de Noe Bookstores in Lebanon. The winners will be involved in activities taking place in public libraries and public school in Amman, Irbid and Ayn Basha in Jordan as well as Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon. The programme will also allow the winners to meet their peers in these two countries through the organization of a discussion with authors in Jordan and an Illustrators brunch in Lebanon.

These activities will be carried out and attended by the authors and illustrators who won an award or received an Honourable Mention in the 2011 Edition of the Prize. 

The winners for the 2011 edition were:

• Ahlam Al Hayawanat| Written and Illustrated by: Walid Taher | Published by: Dar El Shorouk, Egypt.
• Al Ta’a Al Marbouta Tateer| Written by: Ibtissam Barakat and Illustrated by: Housni Radwan | Published by: Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine.
• Al Aayn| Written by: Dr. Afaf Tuballah and Illustrated by: Dr. Hanadi Sliet | Published by: Nahdet Mist Publishing Group, Egypt
• Temsaheyya| Written by: Dr. Najla Nasseir Bashour and Illustrated by: Yasmine Nashabah Te’an | Published by: Tala Establishment, Lebanon
• Kitab Al Duhk wa Al Buka’a| Written by: Fatima Sharrafeldine and Illustrated by: Sinan Hallak | Published by: Asala for Publishing and Distribution, Lebanon.

In addition, the following books received an Honourable Mention:

• Rania Hussein Amin(author/illustrator) and Elias Modern Publishing House for the character “Farhana” for the positive characteristics she embodies of independence, intelligence, compassion and resourcefulness
• Alik Arzoumanian(illustrator) and Asala for Publishing and Distribution, Lebanon for distinctive illustrations in the book Jaddati Maana.
• Daniel George(illustrator) and Asala for Publishing and Distribution, Lebanon for distinctive illustrations in the book A’rifu Sirran.

The “Arab Children Literature Programme” of the Anna Lindh Foundation is a regional programme launched in 2006 with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), and seeks to strengthen the intellectual, social and emotional development of children in the Arab region through developing children literature and promoting reading for pleasure.  The programme is being implemented in the five focus countries of the program; Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. 

For more information on the programme and the winners of the award:

Visit the Programme Website: www.arabchildrensliterature.com

Visit the Anna Lindh Foundation’s Website: www.euromedalex.org

Email: children.literature@bibalex.org

Telephone: (+203) 483 444 7

Mobile: (+20) 10 855 74 99