If you suddenly hear the loud funky beats of a pop song at the 12^th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, just turn or look around, and you will see ‘Wamda’ (Flash), ‘Qalam (Pen), ‘Noqta’ (Dot) and Shuaa’ (Beam) march confidently into the venue at Expo Centre Sharjah, waving joyfully at the excited crowds.

The four delightful festival characters have distinct personalities and can be easily differentiated,one from the other. Dressed in pink, Princess Wamda wears a crown as she sashays towards the young children, waving her wand. Shuaa has a deep blue cape; Qalamis holding a book; while Noqta, carries a cute little bag.

As kids gleefully rush to interact with the mascots, they walk past blowing kisses and giving virtual high fives, maintaining the stringent COVID-19 protocols for physical distancing with the young audience. Each day, the characters make their appearance at frequent intervals to perform several mobile shows across the exhibition’s halls and hallways and entertain both kids and adults.

Created especially for the prestigious SCRF event, each mascot has been carefully selected to highlight the importance of reading and literature. Wamda, Shuaa, Qalam, and Noqtaalso cater to the wide range of preferences children have for various kinds of characters, from larger-than-life princesses and superheroes to regular boys and girls.

Themed ‘For Your Imagination’,children of all ages can participate in several interactive sessions and explore the world of comics through 110 workshops and 22 shows at the 11-day Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) which runs till May 29 from 4pm -10pm daily. On Saturdays, the festival is open from 10am to 8pm.

Strict COVID-19 preventive measures are in place to ensure the safety of visitors at the region’s largest festival of its kind.