Blog Post 1: International Children’s Book Day
International Children’s Book Day is an event that has taken place every year since 1967, on or around April 2nd, which celebrates a love for reading and inspires people to learn about children’s book. This event is sponsored by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Each year, a different section of the IBBY has the opportunity to be the international sponsor and gets to decide the theme for event. The host country then gets to invite a famous author who writes a message to the children of the world and a famous illustrator who designs a poster. The country chosen to host 2018’s International Children’s Book Day was Latvia, which is a country in Europe. The theme for 2018 was “The Small is Big in a Book”, which this year’s author, Inese Zandere, focused on addressing the children of the world. Zandere wrote, “A children’s book signifies respect for the greatness of the small. It signifies a world that is created anew each time, a playful and beautiful seriousness, without which everything, including children’s literature, is just empty busywork”. The messages that the authors write each year are meant to inspire a love for reading in children, and to show people how important literature is for the development of young children. In addition to this message, the poster that is designed for each year’s event is used to promote books and reading, through the media and other organized activities in schools and public libraries. This year’s poster designer was Reinis Peterson, who is also from Latvia. Peterson’s design illustrated many children working together to construct what looks to be a replica of the earth. Seeing some of the activities from this year’s event showed me how positive of a message this event provides for children’s literature. After taking EDUTL 2368, I think that this event is especially important in spreading messages about children’s literature. Before this class, I was unaware of the importance of children’s books, and the lasting impact they have on people. International Children’s book day is a great way to spread awareness and inspiration to people who don’t have the opportunity to take a course on the subject in college.
Citation
“International Children’s Book Day.” http://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/activities/international-childrens-book-day/. 12 December 2018.
“The small is big in a book.” http://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/activities/international-childrens-book-day/icbd-2018/. 12 December 2018.