The first of its kind Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) was held at the Children’s Library Complex, on November 25 and 26. The two-day festival, which brought together over fifteen thousand students from all over the country, featured a stellar programme which included readings and storytelling by popular children’s writers, creative writing workshops, writing book reviews, poetry readings, seminars on promoting reading, live cartoon presentations, children’s theatre, a book fair as well as puppet shows by Rafi Peer Theatre. Sessions on national and regional languages were also organized to popularize mother tongue-learning in Pakistan. The CLF was jointly organised by Oxford University Press and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, with further support from the Foundation Open Society Institute, Children’s Library Complex, US Consulate Lahore, the British Council, Beaconhouse School System, Rose Petal, Atlas Group, and Engro Corp.
The festival was brought to a close by the senior adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister, Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa, who reemphasised the support of the Punjab Government towards such initiatives. He appreciated the hard work of the organisers and wished them luck for the future festivals.
