Throngs of families flocked to the National Reading Campaign’s Characters’ Village at Education City’s Ceremonial Court and Green Spine, making it “an instant hit,” especially among many children.

The event, an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, concludes Saturday. It will be open to visitors from 11am to 11pm.

Despite forecast of a rainy weekend, the gloomy weather failed to dampen the objectives of the three-day initiative, which aims to promote reading and the love of books, particularly among young kids.



Many children trooped to the event donned in colourful dresses (including a few costumes), complementing the lively layout and design of the area. Characters from well-known children’s stories such as Alice in Wonderland were also in attendance.

“The initiative is a haven for book lovers,” a staff at a storytelling booth told Gulf Times. He said the stories narrated during the storytelling sessions range from a variety of topics like fruits, animals, colours, and “funny” everyday situations.

Aside from reading and storytelling, the Characters’ Village also provides children with many educational activities like a large jigsaw puzzle, life size blocks, a maze, and a colouring booth. Many toddlers and young children also enjoyed the face painting booth.

The National Reading Campaign’s ‘Reading Truck’ was also a popular attraction at the event, allowing families to lounge on colourful, oversized pillows while reading children’s stories. The reading truck is a dedicated vehicle that operates as a mobile library, and provides readily available books for visitors.

An expatriate couple, who are both working as English teachers in Qatar, said they support the initiative, adding that they look forward to more similar activities in the future.

“The venue is also very suitable for these types of activities, which are good for the kids,” one of the teachers said.

Another expatriate, who was accompanied by her husband and twin daughters, said she endorses the event, particularly the campaign to promote reading and the love for books.

“I read to my daughters every night,” she said, adding that she was able to build a “good library” of second hand children’s books by going to “garage sales” and from her network of friends in Qatar.

A Malaysian expatriate said reading is also a good time to engage and bond with children.

“My wife and I love to read and we look forward to reading bedtime stories to our son even if he is only more than a year old. Hopefully this practice would also encourage him to read when he is older,” he added.

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