Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) is proud to announce that two of its best-selling children’s books have been announced as winners in several categories of the 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. Where is My Teacher?, written by 14-year-old Qatari author Dalal Ghanim Al Romaihi and illustrated by Nico Yanopolous won second place in the category of “Best Illustrations” and Spring Bloom, co-authored by two professors from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), Sadia Mir and Summer Al-Jarrah Bateiha, won first place in the “General” category.
The Purple Dragonfly Book Awards were conceived in 2009 to recognize and honour accomplished authors and illustrators in the field of children's literature. Recognition is awarded to exemplary books that fall under 56 distinct subject categories ranging from the environment to cooking and from sports to family issues. Books that are awarded the prestigious Purple Dragonfly Book Award are original, innovative, and creative in both content and design, and provide children with the very best in reading excellence.
Where Is My Teacher? was already previously named as HBKU Press’ 2020 World Book Day official selection. The delightfully inventive tale, inspired by Al Romaihi’s own love of reading, follows Dalal’s missing teacher on a wildly imaginative journey that takes readers on a literary adventure where they are immersed in a new world on every page.
The book’s illustrator, Nico Yanopulos, is also the creative talent behind another one of HBKU Press’ award-winning books, The Firefly, which was recently named a finalist in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
For co-authors Mir and Bateiha, the win came as a welcome surprise. Mir, an Assistant Professor of English, and Bateiha, an Associate Professor of Mathematics, were inspired to write the book when they recognized a lack of reading material regarding children’s math stories set in the region and based on local culture and characters.
Where Is My Teacher? and Spring Bloom can be found online as eBooks on Amazon Kindle. Hard copies of the books, and other HBKU Press publications, can now be purchased and delivered in Qatar from the Rafeeq and Snoonu applications (available to download from the Apple Store and Google Play).
For more information on how to get a copy of your favourite HBKU Press books, please follow us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/hbkupress) and on Twitter and Instagram (@hbkupress) for daily updates.
Source: Press release
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