Doha, Qatar: Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) joyfully welcomes this year’s annual International Day of Friendship, which falls today, July 30, as founded by the United Nations in 2011. Friendship is an important social experience that spans across all cultures, and HBKU Press welcomes this opportunity to introduce readers new and old to some great fictional friends.
“HBKU Press is an internationally reputed publishing house,” said Rima Ismail, Outreach and Special Projects Manager at HBKU Press. “It is our pleasure to recognise this day for its important social message that readers all over the world can relate to and find positivity in. We always strive to foster cross-cultural learning, friendship, and comradery through our books. We hope that all readers can find a friend in one of our stories and be inspired to then turn around and be a friend for others today.” Younger readers who may be wondering how to do this need look no further than HBKU Press’s own dynamic children’s catalog, which notably caters to readers just starting their literary journey. Friends Forever by Polish author Przemyslaw Wechterowicz is a beautifully illustrated story that tells the heartwarming tale of a family of rabbits that inhabits the same old oak tree as a family of owls in the branches high above.
With one only asleep during the day, and the other only asleep during the night, Little Rabbit and Little Owl will have to come up with some seriously creative ways to be friends!
Hajar’s Gift by Mr Noon is an original children’s book published by HBKU Press this year, and tells the story of a young girl named Hajar who, one day, meets a woman that lives in a painting. As educational as it is heartwarming, Hajar’s Gift teaches readers how important good friends are, how to be a good friend, and the real value of the gift.
