Exhibition of wordless books from August 1

Sharjah - Visitors will see 54 wordless picture books - 51 from 18 countries, which are part of the 2015 Silent Book Collection; and three from the Arab region.

The Silent Book Exhibition, curated by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), will come to the UAE for the very first time this August. 
Organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), the event will showcase many wordless picture books that have enabled refugee children across the world to transcend language barriers for years.
The exhibition will run for eight weeks, starting on August 1 at the Flying Saucer and will be hosted by the Sharjah Art Foundation. Visitors will see 54 wordless picture books - 51 from 18 countries, which are part of the 2015 Silent Book Collection; and three from the Arab region. 
The Silent Book project started out as an IBBY initiative in 2012 in Italy's Lampedusa, the prime gate for refugees to enter Europe. The project was aimed at providing refugee children in Lampedusa a collection of wordless picture books for them to be able to understand and enjoy regardless of language. 
The exhibition also seeks to further the enhance the mission of the UAEBBY's Kan Yama Kan (once upon a time) initiative, which has been setting up libraries for children living in areas with limited or no access to books due to social unrest, natural calamities and war. 
"The language of pictures is universal, and can be more powerful in its communicative abilities than spoken language or the written word. We have seen how wordless books in the Silent Book Collection have been presenting young refugees with the most fascinating opportunities to share experiences with each other, get educated, have fun and alleviate the emotional and psychological stress they underwent during their trip," said UAEBBY President Marwa Al Aqroubi. "We are pleased to bring this travelling exhibition, which has been enjoyed by people from many parts of the world, to UAE for the first time."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
 

• UAE
• Sharjah