With millions of titles on display annually at Sharjah International Book Fair, finding and buying the right books might be confusing sometimes. In celebration of its inspiring theme, ‘Open Books. Open Minds’, SIBF offers an insider’s guide to making your book purchases count at the fair’s 38th edition, which unveils this Wednesday with 2,000 publishers from 81 countries worldwide.

Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has crafted a ‘winning strategy’ of seven tips, which promises literary enthusiasts, students, friends, children and families to come together at the Sharjah Expo Centre, and enjoy books and culture in a more fulfilling way.

1. Prepare a book list in advance

The best way to navigate the overwhelming stock of books at the book fair is to pre-decide on the titles you wish to purchase – at least a few if not all. Walking into SIBF 2019 with a wish list that has the full title of books, author and publisher names, will give you a definite advantage over other buyers and visitors.

    2. How about building a family library?

Make the setting up of a home library a goal this year, and plan to include books that will interest all members of your family. These could be encyclopedias and reference books, the timeless classics in both Arabic and international literature, sciences, arts, and other genres that will enrich your library. Needless to say, children’s and young adult novels too.

    3. Guide your children through the book selection process

The book fair will be a great opportunity to broaden your child’s horizons by introducing them to new genres and topics that might ignite their interest in more than one or a few authors and subjects. Have a friendly dialogue about books that will benefit them and then let them choose what they want. Also, allow them to actively browse through book stalls and hold conversations with publishers.

    4. Use the book fair’s vibrant environment for family dialogue

Get together with family to discuss books! Share your opinions, listen to those your family has, exchange notes on what each member wants to read. This activity will help you learn from each other’s knowledge and experience, and help you bond and reconnect.

    5. Don’t miss events of interest to the entire family

From Oscar winning poets to Nobel laureates and Hollywood celebrities, the 11-day SIBF 2019 cultural programme comprises a whopping 987 events ranging from book discussions and signings, theatre, social media events, kids and cookery activities, and more. Make sure you go through the list available on the SIBF website: http://sibf.com/en/home, and clear your schedule for the events you’d like to enjoy as a family. Also, as SIBF 2019  celebrates Mexico as Guest of Honour country, bring your family to learn about its culture, history and literature .

    6. SIBF 2019 is a children’s edutainment hub. Make the most of it.

Do not miss the opportunity of engaging your children with the workshops, plays, magic shows, musical and theatre performances – all designed to ignite young imaginations and build their skills and creative thinking. Workshops will cover interesting topics like basic techniques of writing, fundamentals of drawing, book design, visual storytelling, conceptual photography, clay modelling, making musical instruments, language skills, and more. Theatrical performances will include favourites like Wakanda, Rapunzel, Jungle Book, Alice and Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, and many more.

    7. Come early!

As one of the three largest book fairs in the world, SIBF receives more than two million visitors annually who come in to buy books and partake in cultural events. The crowds are especially big on days that feature visits by celebrity authors, artists and media personalities. So, how can you beat traffic, avoid queue ups and find a spot to park your car? Come early.