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Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) is eager to take the impending summer holidays as an opportunity to connect with the local community and support continued learning over the coming months. With summer holidays just around the corner for schools across Qatar, many parents and students are exploring how to best take advantage of the newly freed time.
For younger students, especially children still in the early learning stages, it is critical that they continue reading and writing over the holidays in order to maintain literacy levels. HBKU Press continues to offer a diverse catalogue for children and teens of all ages, and titles range from fiction stories to assisted learning books. The additional downtime also leaves families with ample opportunity to explore hidden gems right here at home. Hayakom: Welcome to Qatar is the perfect guide for families and young readers with an explorer’s spirit who wish to keep their escapades a little closer to home. From the sand dunes to the Pearl, from Doha to Zekreet, this book features beautiful natural photographs of Qatar and the stunning Arabian Gulf, and is sure to inspire the next local adventure.
HBKU Press is thrilled to be located at the home of the next FIFA World Cup tournament taking place later this year and urges readers to take full advantage of this unique opportunity by learning as much as possible about the historic event and its connection to Qatar. In Football Stadiums of Qatar, author Isabelle Hamdan takes our youngest readers on a guided tour led by Ahmed and his friends, Nasser and Aisha, as they take a trip through the country to visit all the new football stadiums that will be featured in the tournament. Her previously published book, One Week in Qatar, is a delightful picture book which sees the same trio through a week-long trip around Qatar, perfect for readers at the beginning of their literacy journey who are also curious about the community around them.
HBKU Press is a proud publisher of books in several major languages and offers titles sure to aid in foundational bilingual development. Alphabet Songs by Basma ElKhatib teaches HBKU Press’s youngest readers the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet in a vividly illustrated song. Counting Qatar by Lolwa Al-Mohannadi similarly aims to teach children the Arabic numerals from 1-10 using pictures capturing Gulf culture and artifacts found in early Gulf homes. While working towards literacy and numerical fluency is key in early learning, young readers are also encouraged to hone other skillsets to aid in their holistic development. In the How to Draw series, practical learning comes to life in this set of six, perfect for aspiring artists everywhere. Featuring many tried and tested professional drawing tips and techniques, this series is a wonderful addition to any young artist’s collection. Whether it be sharpening new language skills or taking up an exciting new hobby, HBKU Press has something to keep everyone learning this summer!
For readers who can’t help but be captivated by the world of fiction, HBKU Press offers a variety of family-friendly storybooks for readers to escape through. Reading fiction regularly is an effective way for readers to enhance creativity, critical thinking, and empathy as they are routinely taken on journeys which challenge overall character growth and development. In Swish’s Big Rescue, award-winning author Matthias Krug continues to tell the tales of our favorite friendly shark, Swish. In this installment, Swish is on his way to football practice when he sees a group of helpless hammour fish caught in a net. He quickly enlists the help of his teammates to work together and save the captive fish in this wonderful display of cooperation. Catch Swish the Shark in the upcoming Swish’s Mobile Dilemma, set for release later this year. Until then, be sure to revisit him in the award-winning Swish’s Winning Smile.
From the depths of the ocean to the heights of space, get lost in the cosmos with Jouri in Al-Zubarah Fort by Lina Al Aali. In realizing her dreams to become an astronaut, Jouri visits the Qatar Space Agency in the town of Al-Zubarah. While there, they uncover the secrets of time travel, as well as a few lessons on life and dreaming of the future.
HBKU Press hopes everyone has a safe, fruitful summer, full of learning and creation. Readers are encouraged to not only read for the sake of maintenance, but to develop healthy learning habits. HBKU Press looks forward to readers enjoying its comprehensive catalogue this summer, and perhaps even writing stories of their own!