Supported by du, Sharjah based Kalimat Publishing House, the award-winning publisher of quality Arabic children’s books, announced the sale of the world-wide publishing rights of the books ‘Ibn Battouta’ and ‘Faten’, both by celebrated Arabic children’s author Fatima Sharafeddine, to the Swedish publishing house Bokforlaget Trasten and Toronto based Groundwood Books, respectively. At the same time, Kalimat has also acquired the Arabic rights to ‘The Shepherd's Granddaughter’ by Anne Laurel Carter from Groundwood Books.
Selling the rights of these two titles to foreign publishing houses constitutes a ground-breaking move on the part of Kalimat, as normally very few Arabic books are translated into other languages, and the numbers dwindle even further when it comes to children’s books.
Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Publishing Housesaid, “We are delighted to have a chance to expand the reach of our quality books such as ‘Ibn Battouta’ and ‘Faten’ to children worldwide.  Kalimat endeavours to publish books that not only touch children on a personal and emotional level, but also inspires in them a love for reading. Through bringing books from this region to children everywhere we hope to foster greater compassion and cultural understanding among future generations, regardless of where they are from.”

She went on to say that Kalimat is very pleased at the chance to collaborate with publishing houses such as Bokforlaget Trasten and Groundwood Books who clearly share Kalimat’s dedication to providing books that have a positive impact on children’s moral, social, and emotional development. The three books in question are excellent examples of the kind of books that Kalimat publishes.
Commenting on this development, Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du, said: “This initiative from Kalimat will surely popularise Arabic children’s fiction from this part of the world in other countries, and vice versa. We are glad to be supporting Kalimat and welcome this form of cultural interaction that inculcates the understanding of different cultures among children at an early age.”
Swedish publishing house Bokforlaget Trasten, who specialise in providing culturally diverse books to Swedish speaking children and young adults, acquired the world-wide Swedish rights to ‘Ibn Battouta’. Written by Fatima Sharafeddine, the book is the first in a cultural series about the lives, ideas, and accomplishments of famous personalities from the Arab world and through fascinating anecdotes about his travels tells the tale of the intrepid explorer, Ibn Battuta.
The English world-wide rights to ‘Faten’, were sold to Toronto based, Groundwood Books, who believes that books like ‘Faten’, which portray an intensely personal experience, are of a universal appeal. Set against the backdrop of the Lebanese civil war in Beirut and also authored by Ms Sharafeddine, ‘Faten’ tells the inspiring tale of a young girl’s metamorphosis from an immature teenager into an outward looking mature adult who overcomes a number of obstacles to improve her position in life.
Kalimat in turn has bought the Arabic publishing rights to by Anne Laurel Carter’s ‘The Shepherd's Granddaughter’ from Groundwood Books. A sensitive story depicting the conflict in Palestine, it features Amani, a young Palestinian girl who longs to be a shepherd just like her beloved grandfather, Sido. But it becomes increasingly difficult to find suitable grazing land for her family's diminishing herd as fighting intensifies in Palestine. When she accidentally stumbles upon a secret meadow called the Firdoos that Sido had told her about in one of his stories, she begins to realise there is more to life than just the fighting all around her.
Supported by du, Kalimat is the first publishing house in the UAE dedicated solely to publishing and distributing high-quality Arabic books for children aged 0 to 16 years. With a portfolio of internationally acclaimed authors and illustrators, Kalimat’s extensive range of books highlights traditional Arabic culture alongside the modern challenges faced by today’s children, with the aim of imparting a life-long love of reading and Arabic literature to Arab children.