Al Amn Magazine # 162

31 APRIL 2023 with a rich cultural programme in which about 140 events were organized and presented by the King Abdulaziz Centre as the cultural partner. This varied between seminars and dialogue sessions, workshops, poetry evenings, and a concert of sung poems. The Saudi National Orchestra performed on the last day of the exhibition. The Al-Sharqiya exhibition focussed on the concept of children’s literature in particular by presenting and discussing all the processes of the literary industry in terms of content, design, directing, and identifying its beneficiary categories in this field with specialists from all over the world. The Ithraa Centre aims to provide a pioneering model in the field of cultural programmes accompanying book fairs in cooperation with the Literature, Publishing and Translation Authority, in addition to focusing on the exhibition’s main theme “Children’s Literature”, discussing its issues in terms of industry and content, and presenting theses that refer to the analysis of the current situation related to children’s literature to produce recommendations. The fair witnessed the organization of a conference for children’s literature, in which experts and specialized writers from the Kingdom and around the world dealt with various aspects of this literature. It touched on technology and harnessing it to develop children’s literature, the challenges faced by writers, the therapeutic aspect, and its comparison with international literature, and the fine thread that differentiates children’s and adolescent literature, in an effort to promote a culture of good reading among children, as well as to highlight the importance of literature in raising the new generation and developing its awareness. The fair sought to provide a stimulating atmosphere for the family to take their children to the event by allocating an integrated pavilion for children, including games and interactive educational and training activities, which included the storyteller event as well as performances and workshops to develop skills and ideas. Several seminars, including a seminar entitled, The Role of Cultural Institutions in Creating Influence and another one entitled, Children’s Literature and Promoting National Identity, were held. A number of workshops were organized as well. These included The Art of Storytelling and a children’s workshop on building cultural projects.