Reading Beyond Literacy
Maktaba is not a traditional library. We are a space where imagination comes to life through books, play, and thoughtfully conceived programming for children of all ages. We encourage children to explore the world and use creativity to reflect on their experiences. We also encourage children to contribute to their community by providing outlets for their natural curiosity and fostering dialog.
At Maktaba, as you move from room to room you hear the sounds of parents reading to their children in a variety of languages. From our Makers Room, you hear the sounds of children busy crafting, experimenting, and engineering. In the kitchen, families sharing their children’s snacks can be heard discussing the challenges of parenting. Step outside and you see we have incorporated outdoor play and learning into educational activities in our community garden, where from October to April our children make the desert bloom. Children plant, care for, and harvest vegetables, herbs, and flowers that we then use for cooking adventures and art activities.
Visit us and see how we can help your child unlock their natural curiosity and fall in love with books and reading.
Reading Goals
Welcome to the Generation Amazing Children’s Book collection, a vibrant part of the Reading Goals initiative developed in collaboration with Maktaba Children’s Library. Leveraging the excitement of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Reading Goals aims to highlight the critical importance of literacy and inspire a lifelong love of reading among youth worldwide. Our collection features 12 bilingual Arabic/English children’s books, each centered around football and crafted to teach valuable lessons on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equity, good health and wellbeing, responsible consumption, climate action, and marine conservation. Authored and illustrated by talented Qataris and Qatar residents, these books bring authentic Qatari voices to young readers globally. Explore our collection and ignite a passion for reading and learning in children everywhere!
Calendar
Why join us for story time?
Help your child develop early literacy skills. When a toddler listens to reading, she learns to recognize some speech sounds that make up words and will later imitate sounds and tones. Even if a toddler shows little verbal skills, she is experiencing an explosion of language interest and is mentally combining words to create.
Help your child’s brain and social communication skills develop.
Boost your child’s emotional IQ by introducing them to objects, characters, colors and the facial expressions we find on the page.
Spark your child’s imagination by introducing them to the wonderful universe of books and stories.
Help your child learn real world skills such as listening, sitting still and using their quiet voice in a fun community environment.
Reservations are required at this time. Please book your visit below:
Testimonials
This is a great library for kids with a lot of facilities available. The staff are all super cool and they attend to your every need. There are various sections and activities for children of different ages. Great place and great ambience.
Aju George Chris, March 2019
This place combines all the good things I want my son to be surrounded by: books, garden, kids, harmony…Plus, myself, I feel great here as well. Specially on Thursdays when they “spoil” mums with yummy cakes!
Eva De La Cruz, 21 February 2018
A breath of fresh air! A much needed literary playground for children of all ages. Amazing team, wishing them all the best!
Fatma Al Rumaihi, 22 August 2015
Best place to spend quality time with my daughter.
Mariam Al-Ansari, 2018
I take my kids regularly, usually at least every other week. They are 1.5 and 3.5. They love playing, doing Arts, in the garden and of course reading. It is refreshing being around books and it’s great for the kids’ development. Then the staff are lovely and treat you like family. It’s not just the library, it’s the toys, sensory play, there’s a kitchen for coffee, changing room, all the facilities you need. I can’t recommend Maktaba library enough!
Adnan Bohra, 15 December 2017
Membership
At Maktaba we are passionate about sharing the FUN of reading and learning with kids and parents in our hands-on, multi-lingual environment! Come browse our growing collection of Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Turkish, and Greek books for children from birth to age 18, participate in our educational and engaging workshops and join our daily story times.