Shortlists Announced for 2026 International Award for Arabic Children’s Literature
OCTOBER 21, 2026 — The shortlists for the eighteenth annual International Award for Arabic Children’s Literature were announced yesterday at an event held at the National Library and Archives in Abu Dhabi.
There are five five-book shortlists for the 2026 award. The twenty-five shortlisted books came from 17 publishing houses in eight countries, penned 23 different authors, with illustrations by 26 artists.
There were 434 valid submissions this year, organizers announced, with authors from 20 countries and illustrators from 33.
For the second year in a row, the largest share of books were submitted by Emirati publishers (149), followed by Egypt with 115 books, Jordan with 52, Saudi Arabia with 43, and Lebanon with 27.
The winners are set to be announced at the Sharjah International Book Fair, on November 4, 2026.
Early readers (0-5)
Shapes from Imagination, by Nasser Al Dousari, ill. Maya Majdalani (Zingo Ringo Books, Switzerland)
Mouse in the Kitchen, by Alaa Muhammad Arafa, ill. Abboud Ahmed (Orjouha Publishing House, UAE)
A Story by Mama and Yahia, by Menna Galal, ill. Pedram Kazerooni (Kalila wa Dimna Publishin, Jordan)
On and On Walked the Cat, by Naseeba Alozaibi, ill. Lina Naddaf (Kalila wa Dimna, Jordan)
Who Passed by Here? by Yamam Khartesh, ill. Noha Gamal (DAL for Publishing and Distribution, UAE)
Picture books (5-9)
The Orange, written and illustrated by Walid Taher (Nahdet Misr Publishing House, Egypt)
Dearest Cows, by Nehad Alshawa, ill. Abdelaal Ahmed (Noon Books, Nahed AlShawa Cultural, Canada)
The Cloud That Moved In, by Aisha Rashid Almanaai, ill. Maryam Mahmoudi Moghadam (Ajyaal, UAE)
Fahman, by Masarra Touqan, ill. Maya Majdalani (Kalila wa Dimna Publishing, Jordan)
Mess, by Ali Alsabaan, ill. Halla Tarek (Red Fox Library, Oman)
Chapter books (9-12)
Unbeseiged Minds, by Shireen Sabaegh and Lina Abou Chaban, ill. Shirouq Idris, Amani Albaba, Abdullah Qawariq, Na’eem Ajouli, and Diyala Zada (Jabal Amman Publishers, Jordan)
Zanjabeel the 12th, by Amal Nasser, ill. Naeem Ajouly (Kiwi Stories, UAE)
The Boy Called Azzouz, by Tamara Qush’ha, ill. Amani Yousuf (Dar Al Yasmine, Jordan)
A Very Crazy Summer, by Passant Ibrahim, ill. Sohila Khaled (Dar El-Shorouk, Egypt)
Uncle Know-it-all, by Nesma Sharif, ill. Mariam Lasheen, (Alia Publishing House, Egypt)
Young adult (13-18)
Alexandrian, by Yamam Kharatsh, ill Hagar ElShahat (Future Group for E-learning and Print, Egypt)
Gulnar and the Firebird, by Hooda Alshawa, ill. Diyala Zada (Red Fox Library, Oman)
Lulwa’s Summer, by Anas Abu Rahma, ill. Lubna Taha (Dinason, Palestine)
The Boy Who Lost His Dream, by Rima Al-Sha’al (Ru’ya Publishing and Distribution, Turkey)
Planet of the Absurd, by Maria Dadouch, ill. Hani Mahfouz (Jabal Amman Publishers, Jordan)
Nonfiction (0-18)
Ask Me Anything: Animals, by Basma Al-Khatri, ill. Shorouq Al-Tanani (Orjouha Publishing House, UAE)
Witty People Who Became Proverbial, by Mouhannad Thabet Al Akous, ill. Masoumeh Haji (Alef Ba’a Ta’a Nasheron, Jordan)
As the Saying Goes, by Dana Al-Husseini, ill. Hiba Walid Yassine (Zingo Ringo Books, Switzerland)
Communities, by Masarra Toukan, ill. Haya Halaw (Kalila wa Dimna, Jordan)
A Journey through Knowledge with Arab and Muslim Scholars, by Muhannad Al-Aqous, ill. Omar Lavin (Noon Books: Nahed Al-Shawa Cultural Foundation, Canada)