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Mother of three, Beirut-born Sahar Mahfouz has lived in the UAE for the past 20 years. She combines a career as the office and public relations manager for the UAE Central Bank with writing for children.

Her books, such as Loughz al Saghir (Secret of the Small Person), explore the need for tolerance and acceptance of individuality. In her Kalimat book, Zarafa Melia, Melia is a giraffe who initially is rejected because she looks so different from everyone else, but is eventually accepted and becomes friends with the other farm animals.