Founded in January 2019 by three Egyptian expert women, Hadi Badi promotes Arabic children’s and young adult (YA) literature and creative learning worldwide. Through book reviews, thematic lists, interviews, and articles, it provides essential resources and raises awareness about contemporary Arabic books for young readers and their caretakers. Hadi Badi also designs and implements cultural projects with local and international partners. Since 2025, it has been officially registered as a cultural association in France
Hadi Badi also provides a range of services, do not hesitate to contact us to learn more about them
The word Hadi Badi comes from a children’s rhyme in Egyptian dialect that was used in games to choose between two things
Toot Toot Festival
Toot Toot Festival is the first-of-its-kind cultural festival in Egypt dedicated to Arabic children’s stories and illustrations, curated and organized by Tanmia Bookstore and Publishing House, Marah Books, and Hadi Badi in partnership with the French Institute in Egypt
Toot Toot Festival targets children, their families, teachers, librarians, and activity facilitators, in addition to book creators. The inaugural edition of the Festival was held in December 2025 under the theme “Dream with Stories”. The second edition of the festival is planned from November 4th to 8th, 2026, and will be hosted again by the French Institute in Egypt under the theme “Travel with Stories”. Please check the festival’s account for coverage and updates. If interested in supporting the festival, please reach out to us on tootootfestival@gmail.com
The Hadi Badi Library Project
In partnership with the British Council International Literature Programme, Hadi Badi implemented the UK-Egypt Creative Exchange Programme in Children’s and Young Adult Literature from March 2020 – December 2022
Under this programme, Hadi Badi implemented the following three strands of activities
* Capacity building of the Hadi Badi Team*
*Knowledge sharing through our KidLit Magic Makers Series (online)*
*The Hadi Badi Library*
The Hadi Badi Library is a curated book collection in Arabic for children aged 4 to 12 years old along with a resource pack for an enjoyable reading experience. The library was distributed to nine associations working with children and teens throughout Egypt. Hadi Badi also provided training to 20 book facilitators on using the library and how to develop engaging activities for a more interactive reading experience
More information in this report (in English) and in this video (in Arabic)
