Latest News

3rd Ibero-american Seminar on Children’s Literature and Youth

4/03/2024 – After two successful editions in 2022 and 2023, the IBBY Sections of Latin America and Spain will once again celebrate literature for children and the youth though an online seminar organized on the theme of 'Courage' (Valentía) and bringing together a splendid line-up of writers and illustrators in race for the most important awards in 2024. Participation is free upon registration. Click here for more details.

IBBY Press Conference at the 2024 Bologna Children's Book Fair

01/03/2024 – The IBBY Press Conference will take place on Monday 8 April 2024, 3:00pm–4:15pm at the Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators' Café.
The annual Press Conference presents the work of IBBY throughout the year and highlights its most important events, including the 39th World Congress (Trieste, 30 Aug–1 Sept, 2024) and the 2024 International Children's Book Day. It is also the much-expected occasion to discover the winners of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award and the IBBY Reading Promotions Awards. Download full programme here.

Visit the IBBY stand at the Bologna Children's Book Fair (Hall 29 C45)

"The 2024 Hans Chritian Andersen Jury Recommends" list is now available

9/02/2024 – Since 2018, the Hans Christian Andersen Jury is invited to create a selection of about twenty outstanding titles from the 2024 nominees that they felt were important enough to merit translation everywhere so that children around the world could read them. The list crafted by the 2024 Jury is now available on the IBBY website. Read more

2024 International Children's Book Day

29/01/2024 — IBBY Japan is the 2024 International Children’s Book Day official sponsor, under the motto "Cross the Seas on the Wings of Imagination". This year’s ICBD programme is the result of a collaboration between writer Eiko Kadono and artist Nani Furiya. Together, they have paid a vibrant tribute to imagination. Find out more.

IBBY Announces the Shortlist for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award

18/01/2024 — The International Board on Books for Young People is proud to announce the Shortlist for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award. Read the full Press Release and visit the Hans Christian Andersen Award web page to read more about the shortlisted candidates. 

IBBY European Newsletter December 2023

20/12/2023—Read the latest newsletter from the IBBY Europe network here and hear about the events of our sections in the region!

Statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

16/11/23 - As a non-governmental organization advocating for international understanding through children's books and upholding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) joins the worldwide call for an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza. For all of us who have committed a lifetime to serving children, we cannot bear the continuing loss of children's lives.

Read full statement

IBBY Statement on the situation in Israel and Palestine

18/10/2023 — The events that unfolded since Saturday, 7 October stunned and shocked the world. The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) denounces all violence, in any form, and especially violence against children. IBBY’s Mission Statement calls for the protection of all children as codified in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that every child has the inherent right to life and promotes the development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Read IBBY's full statement

The White Ravens 2023

13/10/2023 —The 2023 edition of the International Youth Library’s annual recommendation list "The White Ravens" has been published.

Slovenia as Guest of Honour at the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair

12/10/2023 — The 75th Frankfurt Book Fair starts on 18 October 2023! In the scope of the Frankfurt Book Fair Guest of Honour programme dedicated to Slovenia, many interesting events, exhibitions and workshops will take place. Discover some of the programme highlights

IBBY endorses the Ljubljana Manifesto on the Importance of Higher-Level Reading

10/10/2023 — The International Board on Books for Young People announces its support to the Ljubljana Manifesto on the Importance of Higher-Level Reading, which was published today 10 October 2023, to address the decline of reading skills as one of the urgent challenges that now confront society. Read the full press release.

IBBY Newsletter 4/23

03/10/2023 — The fourth IBBY Newsletter of 2023, a special edition featuring IBBY's presence at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2023, is now available online.

2023 Colibrí Medal

02/10/2023 —The winners of IBBY Chile's 2023 Colibrí Medal have been announced! Visit their official website to know more (in Spanish).

The IBBY Asia-Pacific Newsletter is back!

08/09/2023 —After a few years of interruption, the IBBY Asia-Pacific Newsletter is back. In this bulletin you will find echoes from 10 national sections—IBBY AustraliaIBBY CambodiaIBBY Indonesia (INABBY)IBBY Japan (JBBY)IBBY Republic of Korea (KBBY)IBBY Malaysia (MBBY)IBBY MongoliaIBBY New ZealandIBBY Sri Lanka and IBBY Thailand (ThaiBBY)—sharing their major activities since the beginning of 2023. The 38th IBBY Congress hosted by MBBY, which took place in Putrajaya, Malaysia in September 2022 is featured as well.

We hope you will enjoy reading it.

Bookbird issue 3 / 2023 (Vol. 61.3)

23/08/2023 — The new Bookbird issue 2 / 2023 (Vol. 61.2) is out. Find more information here, including Focus IBBY.

39th IBBY Congress in Trieste, Italy

28/07/2023 — The official website for the 39th IBBY Congress in Trieste, Italy, is now online! You can read more about it in the third IBBY International Newsletter of 2023.

IBBY Newsletter 2/23

04/07/2023 — The second IBBY Newsletter of 2023 is now available online.

IBBY Library in Lampedusa is calling for volunteers

03/07/2023 — The IBBY Library in Lampedusa, Italy, is calling for volunteers for the IBBY Camp Lampedusa from 22 to 29 October 2023. All IBBY volunteers who would like to help in inventing new ways of using and enjoying books can take part in the continuing development of the IBBY Library that covets an amazing collection of Silent Books.

Registrations are open until 29 September. Please check the call for volunteers for more information or visit the Facebook page IBBY Library in Lampedusa for more details about the IBBY Camp.

Patrick Sullivan is awarded the Jella Lepman Medal

03/07/2023 — On 25 June, at the REFORMA annual Fundraiser and Awards Celebration held at the American Library Association (ALA), the Jella Lepman medal was awarded to Patrick Sullivan (USA) for his extraordinary work for the IBBY REFORMA's Children in Crisis Project supporting migrant children detained in the south western USA. 

Patrick Sullivan has played a vital role in the IBBY REFORMA’s Children in Crisis Project since 2015, when the first visit took place to the US Mexico border in response to the first wave of hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the US. Ever since then, the IBBY REFORMA project has been doing exceptional work all along the border, and Patrick has been essential to its development and execution.

A full updated report on the IBBY-REFORMA actions was released in March on the IBBY website.

2023 International Congress: Reading the 21st Century

30/06/2023 — Save the date – the 2023 International Congress “Reading the 21st Century” ("Congreso Internacional Lectura 2023: Para leer el XXI") is taking place on 23–27 October in Havana, Cuba!

IBBY Cuba will bring together numerous Latin American and Caribbean specialists, from within and outside the IBBY network, to discuss the creation, production, promotion and research of books for babies, children and young people. Within the scope of the congress, the 11th IBBY-Yamada workshop “We Work for the Children” will also be held, led by E. Gallego and Enrique Perez Díaz (IBBY Cuba), G. Dreyer (IBBY Uruguay), Nora Lía Sormani (IBBY Argentina), and Rodrigo Ures (Cátedra Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Lectura y Escritura).

For more information on call for papers, programme and registration, visit the official website (in Spanish).

Passing of Anne Pellowski

19/06/2023 — It is with great sadness that we have received the news of the passing of Anne Pellowski: writer, storyteller and a major witness of IBBY’s history – having worked with Jella Lepman herself when she spent the academic year of 1955–56 at the International Youth Library.

Anne Pellowski devoted her life to bringing literacy to children worldwide. She started her career as a librarian and storyteller in the New York Public Library system, but became the founding director of the Information Center on Children's Cultures later on, a role she undertook for almost 20 years between 1966–1983, and was responsible for the organization’s international efforts. In this function, Pellowski travelled to developing countries, organizing and evaluating libraries and child literacy programs.

She served not only in the USA section of IBBY, but also in the IBBY Executive Committee in the 1970s and later from 2002 to 2006, and was Honorary Member of IBBY since 2010. In 2020 she was nominated for the IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award.

Anne Pellowski leaves us a multifaceted legacy that embraces many aspects of children’s literature, from storytelling, writing, and editing, to reading promotion, collecting folk tales, and assuring the continuation of oral literature. She was a true champion of reading and storytelling, as well as passionate about valuing local indigenous languages.

Our thoughts are with her family and with all those who worked with her to bring literacy and a love of story to children worldwide.

Bookbird — Call for Papers

25/05/2023 — Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature is seeking contributions for a special issue on Italian Children’s literature: "Beyond Pinocchio, Cuore, and Telephone Tales: Exploring Contemporary Italian Children’s Literature". More information.

IBBY European Newsletter May 2023

23/05/2023 — The first IBBY European Newsletter of 2023 is out! Read it here

Bookbird issue 2 / 2023 (Vol. 61.2)

03/05/2023 — The new Bookbird issue 2 / 2023 (Vol. 61.2) is out. Find more information here, including Focus IBBY.

2nd Iberian-American Seminar on Children’s and Youth Literature

02/05/2023 — The 2nd Iberian-American Seminar on Children’s and Youth Literature will take place online on 16 and 17 May. It is a great opportunity to get to know projects developed in the Iberian, and in the South and Central American countries with an IBBY Section, as well as to reflect and share experiences about the world of children’s and youth literature. Check the program and register.

2023 IBBY appeal to support temporary libraries in benefit of children affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

26/04/2023 — In February 2023, a series of violent earthquakes shook the south-east of Turkey and the neighbouring regions of Syria, affecting 15 million people (including more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees) in 11 Turkish provinces. Since then Turkey has witnessed a major domestic migration with nearly 2 million finding refuge to almost every region of the country. Many children have been left orphans. It took no longer than 4 days after the disaster for Çocuk ve Gençlik Yayınları Derneği–IBBY Turkey to start planning an initiative to support children in the affected areas.

IBBY Turkey is currently working on the establishment of a children’s library located inside a prefabricated cultural centre under construction in the town of Nurdağı, in collaboration with the local authorities of Gaziantep, one of the most affected provinces. The opening of this library is scheduled for the end of May. In July, a similar library will open in Islahiye, a town located a few kilometres away from the Syrian border, now mainly made of tents and containers. These prefabricated libraries are key as they will serve as temporary learning spaces until the education programme is resumed and children are able to return to school. They will also be a safe haven for children to find comfort through books and reading amidst destruction.

Read more and donate

IBBY México's 2023 Children's Book Guide

12/04/2023 — IBBY México's 2023 Children's Book Guide / Guía de libros infantiles y juveniles is now online. Discover the selected books at ibbymexico.org.mx.

IBBY Announces the Candidates to the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award

07/03/2023 — Read the full press release or visit our Hans Christian Andersen Award page to discover the nominees.

IBBY International Newsletter 1/23

22/02/2023 — The first IBBY International Newsletter of 2023 is now available online.

USBBY's 2023 Outstanding International Books List

22/02/2023 — USBBY's 2023 Outstanding International Books List is now available online. The List is published each year and is curated by an expert committee in charge of selecting the most outstanding international books of the year. Visit USBBY's website to discover the selected books.

New Bookbird issue 1 / 2023 (Vol. 61.1)

15/02/2023 — The new Bookbird issue 1 / 2023 (Vol. 61.1) is out! Find more information here, including Focus IBBY.

Passing of Květa Pacovská

07/02/2023 — It is with profound sadness that IBBY hears about the passing of renowned Czech artist Květa Pacovská.

An inspiration and reference for generations of children’s illustrators around the world, she received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in Illustration in 1992 for her immeasurable contribution to picture book art. She leaves us beautiful illustrations that are internationally known for their geometric shapes and vibrant colours. Among them is, of course, our beloved ‘IBBY cat’.

Her memory is forever associated with IBBY. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.

2023 IBBY Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities

27/01/2023 — The 2023 IBBY Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities will be launched in March at the 2023 Bologna Children's Book Fair.

It encompasses 40 new titles from 22 countries A list of all the amazing books featured in the 2023 Selection is now online.

2023 International Children’s Book Day

20/01/2023 — IBBY Greece is the 2023 International Children’s Book Day official sponsor. This year’s ICBD poster is the result of a collaboration between writer Vagelis Iliopoulos and illustrator Photini Stephanidi. Together, they wanted to celebrate the power of children’s books in promoting values of equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as connecting people through tolerance and understanding. Find out more.

Passing of Evangeline Ledi Barongo

11/01/2023 — It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Evangeline Ledi Barongo, long-time president of IBBY Uganda and admired member of our community.

She was a founding member of the Uganda Children's Writers and Illustrators Association (UCWIA), as well as member of the Reading Association of Uganda (RAU), and the Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA), and also served on the board of the National Book Trust of Uganda (NABOTU) since its formation in 1997.

Ms Barongo was a passionate reading promoter both in Uganda and abroad, a recognised member of the academic community and a beloved author for children. Her books were published in English and in Runyoro, her native language, and won several awards in the book community at local and international levels, including the NABOTU Children's Author of the Year in 2004 and 2008.

IBBY’s thoughts are with IBBY Uganda, with her family and loved ones.

IBBY Announces the Resignation of 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury President

10/01/2023 — Please read full press release here.

IBBY President Sylvia Vardell's official answer to the cultural and political authorities of Odense

06/01/2023 — On 6 January, IBBY President Sylvia Vardell responded to a letter from the cultural and political authorities of Odense, hometown of Hans Christian Andersen, concerning the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award and its Jury President. 

The Executive Committee will hold an extraordinary meeting on 10 January 2023 to address the situation. A public statement will ensue. Thank you for your understanding.

IBBY Announces the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury

18/11/2022 — The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international distinction in the field of books for young people. Given every other year by IBBY, the Awards recognise lifelong achievement and are given to a writer and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important and lasting contribution to children’s and youth literature.

The following were selected to serve as members of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury under the guidance of Jury President, Anastasia Arkhipova (Russia): Evelyn Arizpe (Mexico/UK), Brenda Dales (USA), Sabine Fuchs (Austria), Diana Laura Kovach (Argentina), Shereeh Kreidieh (Lebanon), Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer (Germany), Jaana Pesonen (Finland), Tan Fengxia (China), Pavle Učakar (Slovenia) and Morgane Vasta (France). IBBY Executive Director Carolina Ballester is an ex officio Jury member. 

Read the full press release here.

IBBY Statement on the War in Ukraine

IBBY was founded in the wake of World War II with the devastation in Europe and much of the world deeply affecting thousands of children and families. And yet, Jella Lepman believed this was the right moment to bring people together to work toward peace, understanding and tolerance through sharing literature with children. This was her motivation as she founded IBBY and her vision continues to be our inspiration. To read the full text, click here.

Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

IBBY is working with the UN SDG Book Club, which aims to use books as a tool to encourage children to learn about the principles of the Global Sustainable Development Goals through a curated reading list of books from around the world.

The recommended book lists for the last goal, Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals, is now available here. More information and other SDG Book Club selections can be found here.

IBBY Ukraine - Online Conference on the Preservation and Restoration of Children's Libraries

In the middle of extremely difficult conditions, IBBY Ukraine held an online conference with the theme of "Library for Children: Users, Community, Society" on 18 October. The conference explored the themes of restoration, preservation and support of cultural institutions, including children's libraries. IBBY President, Sylvia Vardell, made a welcome address where she expressed support for Ukraine and the courageous librarians who never left the children for a moment and continued to provide them psychological support in addition to library services. Her welcome address can be found on YouTube here and more information and impressions can be found on the website of IBBY Ukraine.

Frankfurt Book Fair, 19 to 22 October 2022

IBBY is featuring the 2022 Honour List books at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 19 to 22 October - Hall 3.0 H122

IBBY announces New Officers 2022-2024

The 2022-2024 Executive Committee was elected at the IBBY General Assembly held in Putraja, Malaysia on Wednesday 7 September 2022. The new Executive Committe members and officers were announced in this media release.

IBBY appoints new Executive Director, Carolina Ballester, and honours outgoing Executive Director, Liz Page


IBBY’s new Executive Director, Carolina Ballester, was introduced at the IBBY Congress in Putrajaya.

Carolina was born in Paris and studied in Spain and France, obtaining an MA in Political Science from the Madrid Complutense University and degrees in Chinese and Arabic from the French National Institute of Oriental Studies (INALCO). She worked as a translator and as cultural attaché at the Consulate of Spain in Shanghai. In 2013, she joined the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair team as programme manager and during ten years she promoted and developed international interest in children’s illustration as well as served on juries for children’s illustration catalogues and contests. Carolina brings to IBBY an interest and wide knowledge in children’s literature and illustration, as well as international experience and fluency in several languages, including French, Spanish, English and Mandarin.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to IBBY, Liz Page, outgoing IBBY Executive Director received the Jella Lepman Medal at the IBBY Congress in Putrajaya.

For 25 years Liz has supported the IBBY organisation and its work in children’s literature with tremendous energy and enthusiasm. Liz joined IBBY as Executive Assistant in 1997 and worked as Administrative Director until March 2009, when she was appointed Executive Director. Liz has been a magnificent mainstay of IBBY, keeping it on an even keel during her 14 years as Executive Director, and she has been invaluable in strengthening and expanding IBBY and its programmes. She is much loved and admired by the many members and officers she has worked with over the years!

IBBY announces new Honorary Member

Ellis Vance (USA) was named Honorary Member of IBBY at the IBBY Congress in Putrajaya, for his exemplary contribution to IBBY and USBBY.  Honorary Membership is bestowed in gratitude and in recognition of outstanding contribution to the development of IBBY. 

Ellis has been an active member of USBBY for over twenty years, most recently as Executive Director. He also served as IBBY Vice President from 2006-2008 and has been IBBY Treasurer since then, as well as serving as Treasurer for Bookbird Inc.

2022 IBBY General Assembly

On Wednesday, 7 September the 2022 General Assembly was held at the IBBY Congress in Putrajaya. 

Following opening remarks by IBBY President, Mingzhou Zhang, the Biennial Report and Financial Statements were presented as well as updates on the various IBBY activities including: Bookbird, ICBD, the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award, 2022 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award and 2022 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award, the 2022 Honour List, the 2021 Collection for Young People with Disabilities, the Children in Crisis and the IBBY-Yamada programmes and the Silent Books project. Carolina Ballester was introduced as the new IBBY Executive Director. The delegates also voted for the members of the 2022-2024 IBBY Executive Committee and the HCA Award Jury President.

The 2022-2024 IBBY Executive Committee is comprised as follows:​​​​​​

President: Sylvia Vardell (USA)
​​​​​​​HCA Award Jury President: Anastasia Arkhipova (Russia)
Members of the Executive Committee: Denis Beznosov (Russia)*, Tina Bilban (Slovenia), Doris Breitmoser (Germany)*, Christian Elongué (Cameroon), Sunjidmaa Jamba (Mongolia), Ingrid Källström (Sweden), Akoss Ofori-Mensah (Ghana)*, Elena Pasoli (Italy)*, Junko Yokota (USA), Luis Zendrera (Spain).  (*denotes second term)
Ex officio members of the Executive Committee: Carolina Ballester (Switzerland) - IBBY Executive Director; Liz Page (Switzerland) - IBBY Treasurer; Patricia Aldana (Canada) - Chair of IBBY Trust; Chrysogonus Siddha Malilang (Sweden) - Editor of Bookbird.

More photos from the General Assembly can be found in the IBBY 2022 Congress Highlights.

IBBY Honour List 2022

The IBBY Honour List 2022 was presented at the IBBY Congress in Putrajaya. The 2022 Honour List includes 163 nominations in47 different languages from 53 countries. Selected for the 2022 list are 63 entries in the category of Writing; 52 in the category Illustration; and 48 in the category Translation.

The catalogue can be viewed and downloaded here and the Congress 2022 Honour List film can be viewed here. MBBY has created a virtual exhibition of the Honour List books which can be viewed on the Congress 2022 website: www.ibbycongress2022.org/virtual-exhibition-2

38th IBBY International Congress

It is 5th September and the 38th IBBY International Congress has begun. Photos of initial impressions and daily highlights can be found at 2022 Congress Highlights. Virtual exhibitions of the Hans Christian Andersen Award winners, finalists and books recommended by the Andersen jury can be found on the Congress website: www.ibbycongress2022.org

Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

IBBY is working with the UN SDG Book Club, which aims to use books as a tool to encourage children to learn about the principles of the Global Sustainable Development Goals through a curated reading list of books from around the world.

The recommended book lists for Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions is now available here. More information and other SDG Book Club selections can be found here.

IBBY Zimbabwe - African Story Box

African Story Box was launched in Zimbabwe by Book Aid International in partnership with IBBY Zimbabwe. The African Story Box programme will give 56,000 African primary school children books in their classrooms. Each school participating in the programme will receive a book box with a curated collection of 200 storybooks and a manual to support teachers in encouraging reading for pleasure. For more information go to:  https://www.thebookseller.com/news/book-aid-international-gives-books-to-more-than-50k-african-primary-school-children

New Bookbird issue 3 / 2022

Including Focus IBBY, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events.

Voces de Latinoamérica

The illustrated anthology, Voces de Latinoamérica, is a compendium of songs, poems and stories that have been told and are being told by the voices of Latin America and the Caribbean. The project to collect and publish an oral tradition anthology was led by IBBY Costa Rica.

View and download the publication (206 pp, 63 MB) here.

 

Voces & Tintas May 2022/3

Voces & Tintas is the regional magazine of the IBBY sections from Latin America and Caribbean. 
Spanish version / English version

Catalogues of recommended books by IBBY Sections - Spain and Mexico

Several IBBY Sections produce catalgues of recommended books, including Spain and Mexico. The new OEPLI catalogue, Literatura Infantil y Juvenil Española. Selección OEPLI, is a selection of 200 recommended titles by Spanish writers and illustrators, presented in Spanish and English. The IBBY Mexico catalogue, Libros recomendados para niños y jóvenes, contains reviews, bibliographies and directories for books for children and young people. For more information visit the Sections under IBBY Worldwide > National Sections.

Leer, imaginar, actuar (Reading, imagining, acting)

In 2020, CERLALC together with the IBBY National Sections of Latin America and the Caribbean created a catalogue of children's books on the theme of Sustainable Development: Leer, imaginar, actuar (Reading, imagining, acting). This catalogue was an impressive collection of 46 children's books from the region with the themes of climate change and environmental sustainability, along the lines of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

At the end of  2021, the second beautiful catalogue, Leer, imaginar, actuar, was published with a collection of 72 books on the theme of sustainabilty. The new catalogue, in Spanish, can be viewed here.

The first catalogue, in Spanish, can be viewed here. A description of the goals of the catalogue and contributors, in English, can be found here.

Award Winners in conversation with iRead

Read the fascinating interviews with the winners of the 2022 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award: Zohreh Ghaeni and Jane Kurtz.

IBBY Australia May 2022 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Australia here.

IBBY Canada Spring/Summer 2022 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Canada here.
 

New Bookbird issue 2 / 2022

Including Focus IBBY, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events.

2022 IBBY Appeal for Funds to support Books for Ukrainian Children in Poland

As we watch the atrocities unfolding in Ukraine, we feel quite helpless as we try to find a way to help the millions of refugees – more than half are children. Over two million have fled to Poland. No one really knows how long these families will need to stay in there. The Universal Reading Foundation is a collective of around 20 Polish publishers and distributers based in Warsaw that is leading an effort to supply books to the Ukrainian refugee children in Poland.

The Foundation has contact with Ukrainian publishers and has received printing files of picture books and story books. The Foundation is printing and distributing the books to local shelters, individuals and larger reception centres around the country. If you would like to help this project please donate through the IBBY website or directly to: https://fpc.org.pl

Another project that draws awareness of the terrible consequences of war is a poster campaign initiated by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany with the title, We Stand with Ukraine. The six posters are taken from the existing exhibition Hello Dear Enemy! Picture Books for Peace and Humanity.

The Youth Library is offering these posters as digital files that can be reproduced for schools, libraries, cultural centres and others public places. Each of the six posters are available in English and Ukrainian, together with one bilingual information poster. The charge for these 13 posters is EUR 30 for the set. The proceeds will go to the Polish foundation Fundacja Powszechnego Czytania (Foundation Reading For All), which will buy books directly from Ukrainian publishers and transport them to Poland for distribution.

Please visit the website for more information: www.ijb.de/en/exhibitions/single/westandwithukraine-poster-campaign-against-war

IBBY is supporting these two worthwhile projects that will get books into children’s hands when they most need them. Please share these two worthwhile initiatives widely.

Thank you for your support.

BOOKBIRD: Call for Papers

Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature seeks contributions for a special issue on War and Displacement in literature for children and youth.

After two world wars and numerous other conflicts resulting in genocides, displacement, and crimes, the twentieth century gained the reputation of “the century of trauma”. Some of these traumatic events remained marginalized in many mnemonic discourses, especially before the memory boom in the 1980s. While several atrocities led to heated debates and later started appearing in historical fiction, others remain repressed, and so do the voices of the child survivors.

For more information  go to: https://www.ibby.org/bookbird Call for Submissions. Deadline: 10.01.2023

IBBY Newsletter 1/2022

Read the latest news from IBBY here.

Retrospective of the Celebrations of International Book Day 2022

Read the latest post on the IBBY Blog here.

May 2022 IBBY European Newsletter

The new IBBY European Newsletter is out! Read about the most recent activities of IBBY Sections around Europe here.

New Bookbird issue 60/1 2022

Including Focus IBBY, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events.

The Swedish picture book artist Eva Lindström receives the 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Congratulations! The Swedish picture book artist Eva Lindström receives the 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

IBBY announces Winners of the 2022 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award

Sylvia Vardell, Chair of the IBBY Reading Promotion Jury of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) hereby announces the winners of the 2022 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award. IBBY is very grateful to the generous support and sponsorship of the Shenzhen iRead Foundation in China.
The 2022 winners are: Zohreh Ghaeni from Iran, nominated by the IBBY sections in Canada and Iran, and Jane Kurtz from the United States nominated by USBBY.
Read the full press release here

IBBY announces Winner of the 2022 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award

Sylvia Vardell, Chair of the IBBY Reading promotion Jury of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) announces the winner of the 2022 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award. IBBY is very grateful to the continuing support and sponsorship of the Asahi Shimbun Media Group from Japan.

The 2022 winner is: Pinnguaqta, a programme of Ilitaqsinniq – The Nunavut Literary Council, from Canada

Read the full press release here.

IBBY announces Winners of the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award

Junko Yokota, President of the 2022 IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury announces the winners of the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The Andersen Award is sponsored by Nami Island Inc. to whom IBBY expresses deep appreciation for its generous support of this prestigious award.  
The 2022 winners are: Marie-Aude Murail from France for Writing and Suzy Lee from the Republic of Korea for Illustration.

Read the full press release here.

Celebration of Jacqueline Woodson, winner of the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing

During the 14th IBBY Regional Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Jury President Junko Yokota presented the HCA 2020 medal and diploma to the winner Jacqueline Woodson. The event was organized by USBBY.

IBBY Honour List 2022

The full list of the IBBY Honour List 2022 nominees can be viewed here. 

2022 Hans Christian Andersen Jury recommends ...

In addition to the books of the shortlist nominees, the Jury has created a list of outstanding books from the 2022 nominees that they felt were important enough to merit translation everywhere so that children around the world could read them: Hans Christian Andersen Jury recommends ... view the books recommended by the HCA Jury in 2022, 2020 and 2018 here and download the list of recommendations for 2022 here.

IBBY Announces the Shortlist for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award

Full media release here.

IBBY Ibero-American seminar

The registrations for the first IBBY Ibero-American Seminar are now open, which will take place on 16-17 March. It will be streamed on Youtube, and will feature the talks of Ana María Machado, Maria Teresa Andruetto, Michèle Petit and Juan Hernaz.

IBBY Australia February 2022 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Australia here.

2022 IBBY Reading Promotion Awards

The 2022 jury met online on 22 January to assess the candidates for the IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award and on 5 February for the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award.The winners will be announced at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair during the IBBY press conference on Monday, 21 March 2022.

From IBBY New Zealand: 2022 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal winner

Writer Diana Noonan is the 2022 winner of the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for lifetime achievement and an outstanding contribution to New Zealand’s literature for young people. She has published more than 100 titles, and won numerous awards for her work. Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake she wrote the picture book Quaky Cat, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, which raised over $150,000 for the Christchurch earthquake appeal.

The award will be presented to Diana at Storylines’ annual Margaret Mahy National Awards Day in Auckland on 3 April 2022. Read the full press release on their website here.

IBBY Netherlands January 2022 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Netherlands in their January newsletter here.

Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land

IBBY is working with the UN SDG Book Club, which aims to use books as a tool to encourage children to learn about the principles of the Global Sustainable Development Goals through a curated reading list of books from around the world.

The recommended book lists for Goal 15: Life on Land is now available here. More information and other SDG Book Club selections can be found here.

New Bookbird issue 4 / 2021

Bookbird issue 4 / 2021 - special issue Hans Christian Andersen Award nominees 2022. More information here

Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury 2022

The 2022 Andersen Award process has begun. The Jury met for the first time spanning 18 time zones! The winners will be announced at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on 21 March 2022.

IBBY Egypt January 2022 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Egypt in their bilingual newsletter here.

IBBY European Newsletter December 2021

Read the news from 15 European IBBY Sections in the latest European Newsletter.

IBBY Canada November 2021 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Canada here

The winners of the Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition are announced

Yu Chongjing (China, 1989) wins the Golden Pinwheel Grand Award (China). Anna & Varvara Kendel (Russia, 1992) win the Golden Pinwheel Grand Award (International). The three Golden Pinwheel Special Mentions go to Diane Li (China, 1992), Alexandra Mirzac (Romania, 1988) and Roozeboos (Netherlands, 1994). In parallel, an online vote ran from 9 to 21 November so as to elect the People’s Choice Award winner. Zong Minghao (China, 1992) wins the award with 15.37% of the 12,435 votes. 

Additionally, the newly created Golden Pinwheel Astra Award is also announcing its first laureate today. An independent jury appointed by the sponsors of the Astra International Picture Book Writing Contest, and composed of Leonard S. Marcus USA), Michael Neugebauer (Germany), Maria Russo (USA), and Xin Li (China), selected Yuliya Gwilym (Ukraine,1987) among the 50 Golden Pinwheel finalists as the first Golden Pinwheel Astra award winner.

Celebration of Albertine, the winner of the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration

On Saturday 20 November 2020, IBBY presented the 2020 medal and diploma to the winner Albertine at the closing of the Journées d'Arole, organised by the French branch of IBBY Switzerland in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award 2020 Ceremony in Buenos Aires, Argentina

On Tuesday 9 November 2021, IBBY Argentina organised a ceremony to present their diploma to the winner of the 2020 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award, Casa Cuna Cuenteros. You can find some pictures of the ceremony here

IBBY Australia November 2021 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Australia here.

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2021

The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2021 was awarded at a ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair on 22 October 2021. Sidney Smith, the Canadian illustrator candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2022, won the prize in the category of Picture Book for Unsichtbar in der grossen Stadt (Small in the City). To see all the winners, go to www.jugendliteratur.org.

BIB 2021

Elena Odriozola won the Grand Prix BIB 2021 for her book Sentimento Encontrados (Mixed Feelings). Elena Odriozola is the Spanish Illustrator candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2022. For the complete list of laureates go to www.bibiana.sk

Opening Ceremony and Announcement of the Winners of BIB 2021 - 15 October, 17:00 CEST
View the ceremony live on this link. Follow them on Facebook and on Instagram

Voces & Tintas October 2021/2

Voces & Tintas is the regional magazine of the IBBY sections from Latin America and Caribbean. 
English version
Spanish version

IBBY Newsletter 2/2021

Read the latest news from IBBY here.

Fundraising campaign to support the building of a new library in El Salvador

IBBY El Salvador has the opportunity to build a permanent library in Santa Domingo de Guzman, a semi-rural area with a primarily indigenous population. The local income in the area is below the national average and literacy rate is low. Award-winning Salvadorian author Jorge Argueta conceived and founded the Library of Dreams to increase literacy and promote a love of reading for children.

Currently housed in a temporary facility, the programme includes:

  • Read-in and lending library
  • 3X weekly read-aloud and story-telling events for children
  • Reading instruction for children
  • Safe place for children to go
  • Educator training, working with local schools

Read more about the Library of Dreams and its plans for a more secure future here.

USBBY has started a fundraising campaign to support the building of a new library. Click here to donate.

Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life below Water

IBBY supports the UN SDG Book Club, which aims to use books as a tool to encourage children to learn about the principles of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development through a curated reading list of books from around the world.

The latest reading list for Goal 14: Life below Water is now available here. More information and prior SDG Book Club selections can be found here.

IBBY Statement on Afghanistan

August 2021

The whole world is watching the tragic unfolding events in Afghanistan. The IBBY community is no exception.
Our first concern is for the people of Afghanistan, and in particular the most vulnerable of them – women and children, especially the girls. 
IBBY stands by its mission to promote international understanding through children’s books and give children everywhere the opportunity to have access to books with high literary and artistic standards. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, IBBY is committed to protecting and upholding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
IBBY therefore joins the global call to respect the human rights of all Afghan citizens, as well as the right to education for all with no prejudice against girls as they strive for a better life.
We call on the authorities in Afghanistan to safeguard schools and protect the international obligation of all governments to their children, without discrimination due to ethnicity, gender, religion, or political opinion, to ensure that future generations have the chance to live in peace and prosperity.
We call on all people of the world to respect the rights of the child wherever they may be.
We also call on all nations to encourage and support the establishment of a safe and fair society in Afghanistan.

Mingzhou Zhang, IBBY President  /  Liz Page, IBBY Executive Director                        

IBBY Children in Crisis - Projects in Afghanistan

New Bookbird issue 3 / 2021

Bookbird issue 3 / 2021 - Focus IBBY, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events, can be read here.

Reading tips about children's and youth literature from around the IBBY world

Read the latest post on the IBBY Blog here.

IBBY Egypt June 2021 Newsletter

Read the latest news from IBBY Egypt with this new bilingual newsletter published jointly by IBBY Egypt (EBBY) and Hadi Badi Books here

New Bookbird issue 2 / 2021

Bookbird issue 2 / 2021 - Focus IBBY, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events, can be read here.

Meet the author, illustrator and translator nominees of the Honour List 2020!

Read the latest post on the IBBY Blog here.

Italian Honour List 2021: Growing Young Readers

This year, IBBY Italia created the very first Italian Honour List that celebrates Italian authors, illustrators and publishers. Congratulations to IBBY Italia for this inspiring publication!

The Italian Honour List 2021 can be viewed at https://www.ibbyitalia.it/honour-list-2021/.

Silent Books Collection 2021

The fifth Silent Books collection was introduced during the virtual 2021 Bologna Children's Book Fair. The Honour List books can be viewed at www.ibbyitalia.it/libri-senza-parole-destinazione-lampedusa-v-edizione.

Bookbird: A Flight through Time

Bookbird: A Flight through Time captures in words and images the story of Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, the official publication of the International Board on Books for Young People, from its beginning as a modest bulletin to an internationally acclaimed quarterly publication. Through the voices of many involved with Bookbird, this book tells the story of an important part of children’s literature in an international context over more than sixty years.  Buy the book here

Watch the launch of the book by its editors on YouTube.

IBBY Annual Press Conference 2021

IBBY has held its annual Bologna Press Conference digitally and shared some of the highlights of IBBY and its members around the world. 

IBBY Appeal for Gaza 2021

Help us rebuild the two IBBY children’s libraries in Gaza

Children in Gaza are suffering. As is always true in a war setting, children pay a terrible price. They have lost family and friends; they have had to leave their homes to find shelter – but there is no real shelter. Gaza is a tiny strip of land with no escape. And there is currently no news about the children from either library. Many of the children who used the Rafah library in the south and the Beit Hanoun library in the north found shelter in the UNRWA schools, but still their safety is precarious. Many schools were destroyed or heavily damaged in 2014 and they have not yet been fully repaired because of the blockade.

Our libraries are meant to be places of support and healing. But our IBBY librarians have been in the midst of this very intense and dangerous situation, and still are. We are happy to know that the librarians are safe although their own homes are damaged. The IBBY libraries are still standing, but badly damaged.

IBBY endorses the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child:
Article 6:  to recognize that every child has the inherent right to life and to ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.

Help IBBY to restore the libraries in Gaza. These children will need all our support and care as they once again rebuild their lives. Children in Gaza should be able to be in their libraries and in school enjoying a safe and dignified life.

To make a donation click here

Latest National Newsletters: Canada and United States

Read the latest news from IBBY Canada in their spring newsletter here and from USBBY in their latest Bridges publication here

After winning the Andersen Award ...

Read the latest post on the IBBY Blog here.

2021 IBBY Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities

The official catalogue of the 2021 IBBY Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities is now available! See the full catalogue here and find more information about the Collection here.

Retrospective of the Celebrations of the International Children’s Book Day 2021

Read the latest post on the IBBY blog here.

Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action

IBBY supports the UN SDG Book Club, which aims to use books as a tool to encourage children to learn about the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals through a curated reading list of books from around the world. To see the latest selection go to: www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdgbookclub/. More information and prior SDG Book Club selections can be found here.

IBBY European Newsletter April 2021

Read the latest news from the European sections from IBBY in the latest European Newsletter here

IBBY Newsletter 1/2021

Read the latest news from IBBY here.

New Bookbird issue 1 / 2021

Bookbird issue 1 / 2021 - Focus IBBY, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events, can be read here.

IBBY Projects in Covid Times

Read our latest article on the IBBY Blog.

Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

IBBY supports the UN SDG Book Club, which aims to use books as a tool to encourage children ages 6-12 to learn about the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals through a curated reading list of books from around the world. To see the latest selection go to: www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdgbookclub/. More information and prior SDG Book Club selections can be found here.

African children’s books highlighted in the latest SDG Book Club

African children’s books on sustainability and equality highlighted through the latest SDG Book Club. Read the full press release here.

Children in Crisis: Restoring School Libraries in Beirut, Lebanon

Read our latest article on the IBBY Blog.

IBBY announces the Candidates for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award

Sixty-two candidates from 33 countries have been nominated for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award. Find the list in the press release

Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

IBBY supports the UN SDG Book Club, which aims to use books as a tool to encourage children ages 6-12 to learn about the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals through a curated reading list of books from around the world.
To see the latest selection go to: www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdgbookclub/. More information and prior SDG Book Club selections can be found here.

New Bookbird issue 3 / 2020 - Focus IBBY

The Focus IBBY section of Bookbird, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events, is available to read and download from the IBBY website. The latest issue can be viewed here.

IBBY Announces the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury

The Hans Christian Andersen Awards recognize lifelong achievement and are given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important and lasting contribution to literature for young people. The following were selected to serve as members of the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury under the guidance of Jury President, Junko Yokota  (Evanston, IL, USA): Antoine Al Chartouni (Lebanon), Marilar Aleixandre (Spain), Evelyn Arzipe (Mexico/UK), Mariella Bertelli (Canada), Tina Bilban (Slovenia), Viviane Ezratty (France), Jiwone Lee (South Korea), Robin Morrow (Australia), Jaana Pesonen (Finland) and Cecilia Ana Repetti (Argentina). IBBY Executive Director Liz Page is an ex officio Jury member. Read the full press release here.

2020 IBBY Honour List - Online

The 2020 IBBY Honour List is now available online. IBBY National Sections selected their best recently published children's books in three categories: Writing, Illustration and Translation to create an exceptional catalogue of 179 books in 48 languages from 60 countries. View or download the 2020 Honour List catalogue here .

Virtual 2020 IBBY General Assembly

On Saturday 12 September, IBBY held its 2020 General Assembly via Zoom. 120 IBBY members from 65 countries attended the meeting led by Executive Director, Liz Page. See pictures of the attendees here.

Following opening remarks by IBBY President, Mingzhou Zhang, the Biennial Report and Financial Statements were presented as well as an update on Fundraising and News from the IBBY Secretariat. Different speakers presented IBBY's activities including: Bookbird, ICBD, the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the 2020 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award and the inaugural IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award, the 2020 Honour List, the Collection for Young People with Disabilities, the 37th IBBY Congress in Moscow 2021, the Children in Crisis and the IBBY-Yamada programmes as well as an update on the Silent Books project. The new Executive Committee was announced and the meeting closed with remarks from IBBY President, Mingzhou Zhang. 

Prior to the meeting the delegates had voted on accepting the Biennial Report and the Financial Statements and Auditor's Report as well as changes to the IBBY Statutes. They also voted for the members of the 2020-2022 Executive Committee, having received a biography and short video of all the nominees. 

The 2020-2022 IBBY Executive Committee comprises the following members:

President: Mingzhou Zhang (China)*, HCA Award Jury President: Junko Yokota (USA)*,
Members of the Executive Committee: Denis Beznosov (Russia), Doris Breitmoser (Germany), Sophie Hallam (UK)*, Basarat Midhat Kazim (Pakistan)*, Redza Khairuddin (Malaysia)*, Shereen Kreidieh (Lebanon)*, Constanza Mekis (Chile), Akoss Ofori-Mensah (Ghana), Elena Pasoli (Italy) and Sylvia Vardell (USA)*.  ( *denotes second term)
Ex officio members of the Executive Committee: Ellis Vance (USA) - Treasurer, Patricia Aldana (Canada) - Chair of IBBY Trust, Liz Page (Switzerland) - IBBY Executive Director, Janelle Mathis (USA) and Petros Panaou (USA) - Editors of Bookbird.

The full Press Release can be downloaded here and profiles of the EC Members can be viewed here.

We thank all IBBY members who joined and look forward to seeing you in Moscow in September 2021! 

Scarves for IBBY - Sale begins 2 September !!

Ten of the world’s greatest children’s book illustrators have created limited-edition scarves in support of IBBY’s work around the world. 

These Hans Christian Andersen Award-winning illustrators have created original art for ten beautiful silk scarves as a donation to IBBY and its work. The scarves have been produced in limited editions of fifty copies for each design.  The 50x180cm (19.7”x 70.9”) scarves can be bought for US$200.00 each. IBBY would like to warmly thank the ten illustrators who generously donated their art work for this project: Albertine, Quentin Blake, Robert Ingpen, Roberto Innocenti, Roger Mello, Farshid Mesghali, Igor Oleynikov, Květa Pacovksá, Peter Sís and Lisbeth Zwerger.

The sale of these beautiful scarves will start on Wednesday, 2 September 2020 at 2:30pm Central European Summer Time (CEST). Go to  https://fundraising.ibby.org/ 

Focus IBBY - now available to read on the IBBY website

The Focus IBBY section of Bookbird, a summary of the latest IBBY activities and events, is now available to read on the IBBY website. Go to Focus IBBY 1/2020 and Focus IBBY 2/2020 or to  Bookbird.

IBBY Lebanon Appeal 2020

The enormous warehouse explosion on 4 August caused catastrophic damage throughout Beirut, affecting schools and libraries. IBBY Lebanon (LBBY), with its years of experience in helping traumatized children and re-building libraries, will work with local schools to help them rebuild their libraries. The project will depend on the generosity and dedication of IBBY friends across the world.

To read more and make a donation click here.

Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

The Sustainable Development Goals Book Club presents a selection of books for children from 5 to 12 years focussing on each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The book selections are in the six official languages of the UN: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. IBBY members are supporting the project by identifying titles in these six languages and contributing to the selection juries. 

More information on the SDG Book Club under https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdgbookclub/ and here

Leer, imaginar, actuar - Reading, imagining, acting ...

The latest IBBY Blog post features the CERLALC-IBBY catalogue, Leer, imaginar, actuar - Reading, imagining, acting, an impressive collection of 46 children's books from the region with the themes of climate change and environmental sustainability. The catalogue, in Spanish, can be viewed here and a description of the goals of the catalogue and contributors, in English, can be found here.

Hans Christian Andersen Award at the virtual Bologna Children's Book Fair

The Hans Christian Andersen Award was featured as part of the Bologna Children's Book Fair online special edition, fairtales

IBBY announces Winners of the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award

The winners of the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award are Jacqueline Woodson of the USA as Author and Albertine of Switzerland as Illustrator. As author, Jacqueline Woodson has a prolific body of writing from picture books to young adult literature, all of which feature lyrical language, powerful characters, and an abiding sense of hope. As illustrator, Albertine creates books with multiple levels of interpretation, with drawings made with infinite precision that are lively and full of humour. 

Films from the virtual IBBY Press Conference can be found here. The full media release can be downloaded here and information on the Hans Christian Andersen Award can be found here.

 

IBBY announces Winners of the 2020 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award

The winners of the 2020 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award are Marit Törnqvist from the Netherlands and Zhu Yongxin from China. Marit Törnqvist is a writer and illustrator who has developed reading programmes for children that focus not only the story, but also on the experience of reading itself and on encouraging children to narrate and illustrate their own stories. Zhu Yongxin is a well-known scholar who has devoted his life to continuous research and activities related to reading promotion, including training and programmes for children in rural areas and children with special needs, the vulnerable and those living in remote areas of China. 

Films from the virtual IBBY Press Conference can be found here. The full media release can be downloaded here and more information on the IBBY-iRead Award can be found here.

IBBY Announces the Winner of the 2020 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award

The winner of the 2020 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award is Casa Cuna Cuenteros of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Casa Cuna Cuenteros is a group of passionate volunteers who carry out reading and storytelling activities in a children’s hospital in Buenos Aires.

 

Films from the virtual IBBY Press Conference can be found here. The full media release can be downloaded here and more information on the IBBY-Asahi Award can be found here.

Virtual IBBY Press Conference - Monday 4 May 2020 14.30 CET

While we cannot be together at the traditional IBBY press conference at the Illustrators’ Café at the Bologna Book Fair, we invite you to join us at our first virtual press conference on Monday, 4 May beginning at 14.30 CET. Announcements and videos will be shared on this website here, our YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter platforms. 

The event will comprise:
Welcome by IBBY President / A Statement of support of the UN Universal Declaration Human Rights / 37th IBBY World Congress Update / Announcement of the Winner of the 2020 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award / Announcement of the Winners of the 2020 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award / Announcement of the Winners of the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award - Short Film

Wen Li, the founder of iRead, introduces the IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award in this new film.

Read the World - IPA, WHO and UNICEF Initiative

IBBY has been invited to support the Read The World initiative, which is a collaboration between the IPA, WHO and UNICEF during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Well known children's authors, such as Roger Mello, Cressida Cowell and Fatima Sharafeddine, are reading their works and delivering messages about the importance of reading and books to a healthy mind, particularly during isolation. The authors and the participating organisations promote the reading on their social platforms and all the recordings are posted on the IPA and UNICEF channels on YouTube.  Visit IPA's Read The World page to see the project in more detail.

IYL Exhibition: I-solation. Kids, draw yourselves!

IBBY's founder, Jella Lepman, launched a project of "children painting themselves"  in 1950. She collected 300 self-portraits from 30 countries and put together an impressive travelling exhibition that offered remarkable insights into children's personalities and their artistic expressions. At this time of the coronavirus the International Youth Library in Munich is taking up her idea and asking children around the globe to draw themselves. All illustrations received will be displayed in their online-exhibition: I-solation. Kids, draw yourselves! https://www.ijb.de/ausstellungen/corona-selbstportraits.html
Paintings can be e-mailed to direktion@ijb.de, together with the name, age and home country of the young artist. 

 

37th IBBY World Congress postponed to September 2021

It is with great sadness that we must announce that the 37th IBBY World Congress due to be held in Moscow, 5-7 September 2020 has been postponed. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible to continue with the current dates. Therefore, the Congress has been postponed until September 2021. Participants who have already registered will have the opportunity to transfer their registration to 2021. Speakers and presenters will be contacted individually. The new dates will be announced as soon as possible. While we deeply regret this decision, we nevertheless welcome you to participate in the 37th IBBY World Congress in Moscow in September 2021. For more information see the Congress website: https://ibbycongress2020.org/en/news and the letter from the Congress organisation here.

Free digital access to Bookbird through Project Muse

Until end May, Bookbird can be read for free on Project Muse - view recent editions here and the Hans Christian Andersen Award edition here.

IBBY Blog

Visit our new IBBY Blog space to share your news with the world. We have introduced this platform to highlight IBBY activities, projects, prizes, people, publishers – all of what makes IBBY such a vibrant and important international organization for children’s books. Our first post will update you on the status of IBBY activities during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hans Christian Andersen Award 2020 Shortlist and Video

IBBY is proud to announce the Shortlist for the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award – the world’s most prestigious award for the creators of children’s and youth literature: 

Authors: María Cristina Ramos from Argentina, Bart Moeyaert from Belgium, Marie-Aude Murail from France, Farhad Hassanzadeh from Iran, Peter Svetina from Slovenia, and Jacqueline Woodson from the USA.

Illustrators: Isabelle Arsenault from Canada, Seizo Tashima from Japan, Sylvia Weve from the Netherlands, Iwona Chmielewska from Poland, Elena Odriozola from Spain, and Albertine from Switzerland.

Click here to download the PDF.  Profiles of the HCAA 2020 nominees can be found here. The video with the authors and illustrators of the Shortlist can be viewed here:  Hans Christian Andersen Award 2020 Shortlist Film

Hans Christian Andersen Award 2020 : Jury Recommends ...

The HCA Jury, in wanting to help build bridges of understanding, has created a list of outstanding books from the 2020 nominees that they felt were important enough to merit translation everywhere so that children around the world could read them, thus expand their access to some of the very best books: 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Jury Recommends ... Books from the shortlisted nominees are also highly recommended.