To mark the annual World Humanitarian Day, the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) is encouraging all readers to engage in acts of service and charity for their respective communities.
World Humanitarian Day is celebrated every 19 August. This year’s slogan ‘it takes a village’ was chosen by the United Nations to emphasise the role of the individual as well as the collective in the idea that it requires a dedicated whole made up of people from all walks of life to create a just, safe, and joyful world.
HBKU Press is dedicated to the facilitation of not just progressive reading and literacy goals, but also in publishing books which champion positive, educational messaging for all ages. HBKU Press also supports the campaign’s theme by making engaging and thought-provoking books accessible to younger readers interested in learning how to help make the world a better place.
According to its Outreach and Special Projects Manager Rima Ismail, HBKU Press is proud to be able to support such important and global initiatives. She added that this year’s theme emphasises the need for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to do what they can to contribute.
Inspiring titles from HBKU Press
In honour of this year’s World Humanitarian Day, HBKU Press recommends these following titles to readers interested to learn more about making a better, kinder world.
Values for a Better World by Almaha Al-Delaimi inspires younger readers with easy yet effective and practical solutions that they can practice in contribution towards the well-being of their community and spaces around them. Taking place over the course of one week, readers can join Jana as she learns a new lesson every day about personal and civic duties one can take to affect positive change. Through small, simple changes, anyone can take individual steps to immediately make the world a better place.
The Firefly by Ameera Al-Naemi is another book that highlights the importance of charity and doing good. This delightfully illustrated story introduces readers to Ibraheem, a happy and privileged boy who enjoys a life of safety and love with his parents, who frequently volunteer for good causes and engage in acts of charity. They travel to different parts of the world to help those in need and Ibraheem doesn’t like that this work often takes his mother away from him. He urges her to stay home, putting himself and his own needs first.
However, through the light of a firefly, Ibraheem eventually learns to rethink his own selfishness and see the value in volunteering to affect positive change in the world and understand just how important small acts of good are in making a big difference.
For young readers just beginning their literary journey, HBKU Press makes it easier than ever to learn about the world and what we can do to have a positive role in it.
Kindness Makes Us Strong by award-winning author Sophie Beer is the recipient of the esteemed 2016 Random House Portfolio award and is a must-read for children of preschool age. This joyfully illustrated board book helps readers understand what kindness is, and how acts of kindness, big or small, makes us all strong.
Change Starts with Us, also by Beer, similarly prioritises small yet practical changes that anyone can make to make an important difference in the world. Just as colourful, this book demonstrates that every little bit counts when it comes to creating ripple effects in our communities. Children will be able to learn that little changes in our own lives can soon lead to larger changes in the world we all live in.
The Citizenship Book Series by prolific author Cassier Mayer is a collection of books for children organised by theme to introduce young readers to positive character values that support good citizenship and facilitate the creation of a clean, safe and kind environment for all. Illustrations are playful and engaging and help younger readers understand and envision what such a world would look like if everyone played their part.
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