Mithaa AlKhayyat

UAE born Maitha Al Khayat spent most of her childhood years in the US and UK. She first got hooked on books while in middle school in the UK and has never stopped reading or writing since.

Maitha is based in Ras Alkhaimah. A mother of four, she still manages to make time to read all the time and to write children's stories such as the charming "Tareeqati Al Khassa". Her first book was the bilingual "I Love My Dad's Long Beard" published by Zodiac Publishing, which was inspired by her children's love for their daddy's long beard.

"Tareeqati Al Khassa" was first published in Arabic by Kalimat. In the story, Hamda longs to wear the hijab like her four older sisters. Each sister feels it should be worn her way. Hamda finds it is up to her to figure out her own unique way of wearing the veil to make it a part of her active and happy life. The book was acquired by Orion Books and recently won the best book award given by the Riyadh based International Forum for Children's Education and Development.