On the eve of International Children's Day, young writers Arlan and Aslan from Uralsk visited Akorda, El.kz reports.
Arlan and Aslan Aitkaliyev are the authors of the children's book “Harold and LaraBelle. The Kingdom of Books”. The brothers wrote it at the age of 13.
The book tells a story of kindness, friendship, and the pursuit of knowledge. It has been published in Kazakh, Russian, English, and German, and also features an audio version and QR codes with sign language translation.
In April 2026, the young authors' work won first place in the "Best Children's Book" category at the Astana Eurasian Book Fair international exhibition in Astana.
Arlan and Aslan are also prize-winners of the "Our Andersen" international fairy tale competition. In addition to literature, the brothers participate in educational and cultural initiatives, holding online meetings with peers from Italy, the Netherlands, Belarus, North Macedonia, and Uzbekistan.
During these meetings, they talk about reading, creativity, and friendship, and introduce participants to the culture of Kazakhstan. The brothers themselves are passionate about chess, painting, music, volleyball, and breakdancing.
“Our big childhood dream is for our book about kindness to become available to children all over the world and to be published in many more languages,” Arlan and Aslan said.
Today, the young authors continue to develop initiatives that unite children around reading, knowledge, and culture.
