Kalimat boosts demand for Arabic children's books worldwide

 Since its establishment in Sharjah in 2007, Kalimat Group has built an international presence for Arabic children’s literature, bringing its titles to global publishing markets and new readers across multiple languages. 

The group has published more than 1,000 titles and developed a distribution network spanning over 130 partners worldwide, extending the reach of Arabic storytelling beyond the region. 

Its international profile has been strengthened through participation in major industry platforms, including the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, where Kalimat Publishing House was named Best Children’s Publisher in Asia. The group also secured one of the sector’s top honours when House of Wisdom, written by Her Highness Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group, won the BolognaRagazzi Award in the fiction category. 

The recognition underscores the growing competitiveness of Arabic children’s content within the global publishing landscape, as demand for culturally diverse narratives continues to rise. 

This expansion comes amid sustained growth in the global children’s publishing sector. Industry data show the market was valued at about $13.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $27.4 billion by 2033, indicating rising demand for literary content aimed at younger readers. 

More than 2.3 billion children’s books are published each year across more than 95 countries, underscoring the scale of the sector. As publishers seek stories that reflect a broader range of cultures and experiences, Arabic children’s literature is increasingly reaching new audiences. This shift is driving greater investment in the development, translation, and international distribution of Arabic titles. 

Ahmed Al Ali, General Manager at Kalimat Group, said: “We see children’s literature as a long-term investment in people. It is through early reading that imagination, language, and the ability to understand both self and the world begin to take shape. A book in the hands of a child does more than tell a story; it helps form their knowledge, broadens their imagination and horizons, and establishes reading as a life-long daily habit.” 

Arabic children’s literature carries narrative and human potential that can enrich the global literary landscape.

He added: ‘We are committed to developing content founded on strong intellectual and artistic standards, reflecting our cultural environment with depth while remaining open to shared values. Arabic children’s literature carries narrative and human potential that can enrich the global literary landscape, not only as cultural representation but through authentic experiences that add real diversity and foster intellectual exchange beyond language and geography.” 

Kalimat Group has responded by expanding its catalogue for children and young adults and increasing translation into international languages. Its list now exceeds 1,000 titles, with dozens of works available beyond the Arab world, widening access to Arabic literature. 

Alongside its publishing efforts, the group has launched cultural and educational initiatives to promote reading. These include the “A World of Stories” initiative, which has established 120 libraries in children’s wards and play areas across hospitals and medical centres in the UAE, integrating reading into recovery and emotional support. 

For younger readers encountering these stories for the first time, the impact is immediate. The books they read help shape how they see the world, and each Arabic title that travels adds a new voice to that picture. 

Early this year, Kalimat Group wrapped up its participation in the second edition of the Sharjah Festival of African Literature with a programme that foregrounded Africa’s literary voices and narratives, reaffirming Sharjah’s role as a hub for cross-cultural dialogue. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority at the University City of Sharjah from Jan.14 to 18 under the theme “The African Way,” the festival brought together writers, publishers, and readers from across Africa and the Arab world. 

As part of its participation, Kalimat Group organised a dedicated pavilion that brought together its imprints, Kalimat and Rewayat, showcasing a curated selection of publications that explore Africa through storytelling, history, imagination, and the human experience. 

They also contributed to the festival’s cultural programme through a series of discussion sessions that brought together writers from the UAE and Africa, notably Zimbabwean author and novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga, winner of the Sharjah Lifetime Achievement in Literature Award, and the Emirati author Amal Alsahlawi, who read her poems at the opening of the festival.