The camel with a twist An illustrated children’s book

Dubai, 24 April 2024 –

Get ready for a special treat! “The Spotty Ghaidaan” is set to be launched at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on 29 April 2024. This charming children’s picture book created by Emirati illustrator Mohammed Al Rais and based on a tale by Swiss author Kurt Blum, is set to capture the hearts of young readers with its delightful story of uniqueness and triumph. 

The story of “The Spotty Ghaidaan” is short and simple and comes with an educational message. Ghaidaan is not your everyday normal camel, he is very shy, and because of the peculiar spots on his skin, children laugh and make fun of him. However, thanks to a lot of practicing and training in his backyard garden he was able to perfect his surprise special talent. With his rare skill, Ghaidaan becomes a genuine entertainer and a huge success. There is also an environmental awareness component in the story that teaches children that materials like aluminum cans can be reused for other purposes.  

Through his evocative illustrations, Al Rais invites the reader on a journey of discovery across the diverse and captivating tapestry of Emirati culture and heritage.

“The Spotty Ghaidaan” is supported by governmental entities and private sponsors, mainly by The Ministry of Culture through the National Grant Program for Culture and Creativity program, the Embassy of Switzerland, Farnek Services LLC and Property Finder UAE.

The Ministry of Culture offers support to UAE nationals with grants aimed at fostering talent and overall cultural production. The grants target creative professionals distinguished in the cultural and creative industries. 

The Swiss Ambassador, His Excellency, Mr. Arthur Mattli said about the book: “The inspiring story teaches us that skills development, and not appearance, will make a difference in our lives and in the lives of those we are supporting.”

The book will be released in English and Arabic and distributed by the Publishing House Al Fulk. It can be purchased at www.alfulktp.com and www.orange–pier.com  

Come join us at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2024 for the launch of “The Spotty Ghaidaan,” a heartwarming tale that brings together Emirati and Swiss creativity in a magical way!

 About Mohammed Al Rais

Mohammed Al Rais is an Emirati illustrator and animator from Dubai. In 2017, he received his BFA in Fine Art from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, specializing in traditional animation.

Mohammed has participated in numerous animation projects over the past years utilising various styles including hand-drawn and puppet animation. “Kupala Knights” and “The Ribbon” are some examples of the animation projects. He has also animated a children’s book titled “The Blue Lion”. Mohammed’s inspiration for his stories, settings, and characters come from the folklore and history of various cultures. Mohammed currently lives and works in Dubai.

About Kurt Blum             

Kurt Blum, is the Managing Director of Absolute Yas FZE LLC, based in the United Arab Emirates.

Expanding upon his university degree in Education Arts & Music (University of Lucerne, Switzerland), Kurt has developed an original approach to arts and culture that carefully promotes understanding and cultural bridges by emphasizing the similarities between eastern and western values. 

During the past seventeen years, Kurt has developed an extensive and diverse portfolio of more than 100 successful projects, including the photo exhibition “Late Sheikh Zayed in Switzerland”. Kurt has also commissioned art exhibitions and cultural projects for the Embassy of Switzerland in Abu Dhabi and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Montenegro. He was the founder of the yearly event “Swiss Days

Dubai”, a two-day cultural festival held at the Madinat Theatre Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE, between 2009 and 2019.

In 2019 Kurt was inspired by Rob Moore’s webinar “How to launch your book” and while browsing through his hard-drive archives, he re-discovered his children’s book “The Spotty Ghaidaan”. He diligently searched for an illustrator and found the gifted Emirati artist Mohammed Al Rais who created 31 delightful drawings for his book.

In 2021 Kurt established Absolute Yas FZE LLC in Ajman UAE. He lives and works in Dubai.

About AlFulk Translation & Publishing

AlFulk is an independent publishing house based in Abu Dhabi – UAE, founded in October 2015.  It is specialised in translating children’s and young adult literature from various languages into Arabic. Dutch, Icelandic, Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, Russian are among the languages which AlFulk has successfully translated from. AlFulk is the first Arabic publishing house to introduce Silent Books into the Arab Market with one of its publications reaching the top 10 silent books worldwide by the IBBY in 2018. 

AlFulk’s goals:

1. To enrich the Arabic library with diverse cultural offerings, helping to inform readers of the importance of intercultural communication.
2. To help establish basic reading habits for children from 1-4 years old
3. To augment the quality level of young adult books, both fantasy and fiction, in terms of their content and illustrations.