- ChLA International Committee
International Children's Book Day 2017
Join the ChLA International Committee in celebrating International Children's Book Day (ICBD) on April 2nd!
About ICBD
ICBD is a worldwide celebration of reading and children's literature meant to inspire and promote a love of children's books.
History
The idea of an International Children's Book Day was conceived by Jella Lepman, the founder of IBBY, in 1996. Her proposal was unanimously accepted by the International Board on Books for Young People. To mark the day, Jella Lepman wrote a message to the children of the world. Since 1967, on and around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, April 2nd, International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books.
Each year a different National Section of IBBY has the opportunity to be the international poster sponsor and decides on a theme and invites a prominent author to write a message to the children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design the poster.
ICBD 2017
International Children's Book Day 2017 is sponsored by Russia with the chosen theme "Let us grow with the book!" Award-winning Russian author and poet Sergey Makhotin penned the annual message with translation by Yana Shvedova. Renowned Russian illustrator Mikhail Fedorov designed the poster.
Sergey Makhotin was born in 1953 in Sochi and now lives in St. Petersburg. Having graduated from the Maxim Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow, he worked as an editor and author for children's periodical magazines Leninsky Iskry, Kostyor, Chizh I Yuzh. Currently he works as editor of children's programmes on Radio Russia. He is the author of more than twenty books for children and teenagers, and an established poet. His collection of poems for children "Who do I take after?" (2004) received the prestigious Marshak Litery Prize. His book The virus of grumbling was nominated for the 2008 IBBY Honour List.
Mikhail Fedorov was born in 1941 in Moscow. In 1964 he graduated from the Moscow Academy of Textile. Mikhail is a very miscellaneous artist. During his life he developed real passion for art--painting, poster design, graphic art, fashion, book design, and illustration. Illustrating became a very important for him, especially illustrating books for children. Today, there are over 90 books illustrated by Mikhail Fedorov. The artist is doing his best to show children the life of different countries and epochs, their culture and history. Since 1974 Mikhail Deforov has been taking part in exhibitions and contests for book illustration and design in Russia and abroad. Mikhail holds more than thirty national and international awards, including the Golden Plaque at Biennale of Illustrations Bratislava (2007). Fedorov was nominated by IBBY Russia for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration (2016).
2017 Message - Let us grow with the book!
In my early childhood I loved to build houses out of blocks and all sorts of toys. Instead of a roof I often used a children’s book with pictures. In my dreams I climbed into the house, laid down on the bed made of a matchbox and looked up at the clouds or at the starry sky. It all depended on which picture I liked the most.
I have intuitively followed the rule of life of every child who seeks to create a comfortable and safe environment for himself. And a children’s book really helped me accomplish this.
Then I got older, I learned to read, and a book in my imagination started looking more like a butterfly, or even a bird, than a roof of a house. The book pages resembled the wings and rustled. It seemed that the book lying on the windowsill would rush out the open window into unknown spaces. I took it in my hands and began reading, and the book began to calm down. Then I rushed myself to other lands and worlds, expanding the space of my imagination.
What a joy to hold a new book in one’s hands! At first you don’t know what the book is about. You resist the temptation to open the last page. And how good it smells! It is impossible to divide this smell into components: printing ink, glue… no, it is not. There is a particular smell of a book, an exciting and unique one. The tips of some pages would stick together as if the book had not woken up yet. It wakes up when you start reading it.
You are growing up and the world around is becoming more complicated. You are facing the questions, which not even any adult is ready to answer. However, it is important to share your doubts and secrets with someone. And here a book comes along again to help. Many of us have probably caught ourselves thinking: this book was written about me! And the favourite character suddenly appears to be like you. He experiences the same problems and tackles them with dignity. And another character is not like you at all, but you want him to be your role model, you wish to be as brave and resourceful as he is.
When some boys or a girl says, “I do not like to read!” that makes me laugh. I do not believe these kids. They eat ice cream, play games and watch interesting movies. In other words, they like to have fun. And reading is not just hard work towards the development of feelings and personality, but it is first of all a great pleasure.
Specifically for that purpose children’s books authors write their manuscripts.
Written and illustrated by Sergey Makhotin, message translated from Russian by Yana Shvedova.
To learn more about the International Committee's relationship with IBBY and our other partnering organizations, visit our Resources Page.
How are you celebrating International Children's Book Day?