Editorial
Books build bridges!
3 questions to... Anastasia Arkhipova
Echoes from the European sections
Recent publications
Upcoming events
Contributors
How to subscribe

Dear colleagues from the European sections of IBBY,

Happily we can report that our three meetings at the European Union headquarters in Brussels have resulted in a positive response. We got a letter from the Directorate-General for Education and Culture, saying: 'We highly appreciate IBBY's valuable work for the promotion of children's literature. It goes without saying that providing them with access to education is not only an obligation pursuant to the Convention of the Rights of the Child but also a key instrument to promote intercultural dialogue, social integration and ultimately better quality of life.'

IBBY pressed for the establishment of an EU Literary Prize for Children's Literature. We are pleased to announce that the existing EU Literary prize (http://www.euprizeliterature.eu) - putting the spotlight on the creative and diverse wealth of Europe's contemporary literature and promoting greater circulation of literature within the European Union- may now ALSO be awarded to authors of children's literature. The IBBY sections of the EU countries can contact info@euprizeliterature.eu to have more information about the nomination process in their own country. We will carefully watch the outcome of this innovation.

On Friday, 24 August 2012 (14.00–15.30) we invite all the European IBBY sections to a meeting during the IBBY Forum of the IBBY Congress in London, where we shall discuss these and other items on the European IBBY agenda. Your presence is very important to us.

In this issue, please find the request of Majo de Saedeleer, president of the Flemish branch of IBBY Belgium: she needs our help in a very interesting project she is developing!

Our "3 questions to" are addressed to Anastasia Arkhipova, from Russia. Do you have a name to suggest for the next issue? Send us a mail!

Our Facebook group has been online for a year now! If you're still unfamiliar with it, please read the step-by-step guide :
IBBY Europe on Facebook: how to use it.

Special thanks to all our contributors from the European National Sections, to David Pintor who has graciously created yet another fine header for this issue and to Liz Page, who does all our proof-reading!

Please don't hesitate to send us your comments and requests - we eagerly await your input! Please send your e.mails to the following addresses: wally.de.doncker@telenet.be and hasmig.chahinian@bnf.fr

All the best!

Wally De Doncker and Hasmig Chahinian

A request to the readers of the IBBY European Newsletter.

Majo de Saedeleer. © Koen Broos.

Last October I received the Filson Steers Mariman Award for my work in promoting children’s literature in Flanders. With the prize came a rather substantial sum of money for me to spend as I liked.

I soon decided to spend the money on three projects. One of them is the creation of an international collection of picture books. To realize this plan I need your advice.

In some large cities about 50% of the children in Flemish elementary schools are from migrant families. They come mainly from the Maghreb countries, Eastern-Europe and Africa. However friendly the welcome in our schools may be, these children are immersed in a culture that is almost singularly Western European and white. Even if the respect for the first language of those children has recently increased, the language of the school, the books and the overall climate is not theirs. In other words these children are always on the receiving end. Wouldn’t it be nice if they, too, would be in a position to bring something of their homeland to the knowledge of their classmates?

With this aim, I would like to create an international collection of (picture-) books, comprising books from the homelands of these children. I do not have the means to have the books published in Dutch, but I can take care of the cost of translation and the audio recording of the text in the original language.

But how to choose the most interesting books in languages I cannot read?

My question to you is: could you recommend three books from your home country and in your language that you consider to be particularly interesting for children, aged 6 to 12 years. The books - preferably picture books - can be traditional stories typical for your culture or new stories, beautifully illustrated and true to the IBBY values. The goal of this project is to work on a two-way road: giving back to the children from migrant families some form of dignity by putting them in a position of offering a present to Flemish children and to widen their horizon to a world broader and richer than their home country.

In my dreams this is but a beginning. Maybe some public libraries will expand their international collections inspired by the longlist you help compose. And wouldn’t it be nice if publishers would pick up (some of) the books for translation. And in this booming digital age, some of the books might be transformed into multilingual apps. And so on, and so forth.

Majo de Saedeleer
majodesaedeleer@stichtinglezen.be

The German Youth Literature Award

The German Youth Literature Award (Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis) is the only state-sponsored award for literature in Germany, established by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in 1956.

Organized by the Association for Children's and Youth Literature (Arbeitskreis für Jugendliteratur, IBBY Germany) the prize is awarded annually for outstanding works of literature for young people. The object is to increase the public interest in children's and young people's literature. And, at the same time, to raise awareness of new releases and developments in literature for young people.

The five categories are: Best Picture Book, Best Children's Book, Best Youth Book, Best Non-Fiction Book, and Choice of the Youth Jury.

The awards are presented during the Frankfurt Book Fair and each winning title receives 8,000 €. Since the establishment of the prize, books and their authors from different countries have been recognized, including non-German speakers. In addition, a special annual award for lifetime achievement is given to a German author, illustrator or translator in rotation.

The list of nominated titles for 2012 can be found at:
http://www.djlp.jugendliteratur.org/nominierungen_bilderbuch-9.html

Poster by Martin Baltscheit.

The youth jury © Matthias Bone.

New executive committee The Association for Children's and Youth Literature (Arbeitskreis für Jugendliteratur, IBBY Germany), has a new executive committee. It was elected at the general assembly at the Leipzig Book Fair on the 16th of March 2012. The new chair for 2012 to 2015 is Stephanie Jentgens (at the center of the picture). The other members of the committee are (left to right in the picture): Alexandra Ritter, Elisabeth Simon-Pätzold, Walter Mirbeth and Elke Fettweis.

Translators' Workshop

The Association for Children's and Youth Literature (Arbeitskreis für Jugendliteratur, IBBY Germany), with support from the Robert Bosch Stiftung is organizing the third one-week, all-expenses-paid workshop focusing on translation of literature for young readers and the role of the translator. The workshop under the title Kein Kinderspiel!,
or No Child’s Play!, will take place from the 16th to the 21st of September 2012 in Hamburg/Germany.

The event will focus exclusively on German Children's Literature. The workshop language will be German.
Professional translators who translate German children's books into their respective native tongues can apply for participation in the workshop. The deadline for applications is the 2nd of May 2012.
Further details and the application form can be found at http://www.bosch-stiftung.de/content/language1/html/29104.asp.

Books illustrated by Zdzisław Witwicki. © Maria Kulik.

Books of the year 2011

• The Book of the Year 2011 – Children’s Book
  Joanna Clara Tasked The Dog in the Land of Travelling Night,(Pies w Rainier Wędrującej Nocy).
  The poetic fairy tale, enchanting with narrative concepts and artistic language. The Prince sets off for the Land of the Travelling Night in order to acquire unique violets, the smell of which is able to return the will to live to his companion – always sad Princess.

• The Book of the Year 2011 – Teenager’s Book
  Zofia Beszczyńska The Moon’s Egg,  (Jajko księżyca).
  Anabella will celebrate her 13th birthday soon. The same way as Alice in Wonderland travels from one place to another, Anabella wanders across the realm of fairy tales and symbols. The entire novel is saturated with literary and cultural quotes. This is a novel of exquisite literary value that builds a bridge between the children's literature senso stricto and the high literature.

• The Book of the Year 2011 – Picture Book
  Iwona Chmielewska (illustrations & text) The Blumka’s Memoirs, (Pamiętnik Blumki).
  Iwona Chmielewska, illustrator, winner of the 2011 Bologna Ragazzi Award. Blumka’s Memoirs presents all details that let us into the everyday life of children from an orphanage and - in passing – into the pedagogical concept of Janusz Korczak. It is very important that for the first time one of the most important Korczak’s humanistic essays - How to Love a Child - is presented to the wide audience so artistically.

• The Book of the Year 2011 – Illustrations
  Agata Dudek (illustrations) Wandering across the sky with Johannes Hevelius, (Wędrując po niebie z Janem Heweliuszem),text Anna Czerwińska-Rydel, graphic design Małgorzata Frąckiewicz/Poważne Studio.
  The book refers to the best traditions of the Polish school of illustration (specifically such masters as Bohdan Butenko or Mateusz Gawryś) when depicting the sky, sun, comets, systems of planet or XVII century cities’ urban structure, old ships, measuring instruments, navigation instruments etc. As well as portraying humourously the important and famous persons, at the same time it reflects the essence of the intellectual argument between Johannes Hevelius and Robert Hook. The artist quotes (with some transfiguration!) the original engravings of Hevelius.

From left to right: Magdalena Klos (Wytwornia publishing house, Marianna Oklejak, Katarzyna Janusik (Znak publishing house) and Jan Bajtlik.
© Ewa Świerżewska.

90th anniversary of Zdzislaw Witwicki

IBBY Poland celebrated the 90th anniversary of Zdzislaw Witwicki in Warsaw. Born in 1921, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, graduating in 1955. He is active as an illustrator and painter and has illustrated over seventy books. He has provided graphic design for books featuring Wróbelek [Little Sparrow] Elemelek, and Krasnal [Brownie] Hałabała. Awards: prize in the PTWK competition for the Best Designed Book of the Year 1963 for illustrations and graphic design for the book Muchomory [Toadstools] by J. I. Sztaudynger (Nasza Księgarnia, 1961); honorary mention for illustrations to and graphic design for the book Pajacyk Faramuszka [Faramuszka the Trifle Puppet] (Nasza Księgarnia, 1964) at the International Exhibition of the World’s Finest Books in Frankfurt-on-Main, 1965; prize for illustrations and graphic design for the book Szedł Antoszka [Antoszka Advancing] (Nasza Księgarnia, 1975) at the 1978 International IBA exhibition, Leipzig; honorary mention for illustrations to self-written texts in the ‘Contemporary Polish Book Art’ 2000 competition (Warsaw). Prizes for lifetime achievement: 1983, Prime Minister’s Prize; and 2001, Medal of the Polish IBBY Section, Gloria Artis 2009.

Seminar “Lire en v.o." [Read in the original version]

The 14th edition of the seminar “Read in the original version”, organized by IBBY France, was held on March 15. It was dedicated to Japan, the Paris Book Fair’s guest of honour. The seminar took place in the exquisite “House of Japan’s culture”, situated near the Eiffel Tower. Katsumi Komagata, the famous author-illustrator, talked about his sources of inspiration; Jean-Marie Bouissou, a manga specialist, gave a lecture on the subject; and Pascal Fauliot, a storyteller, spoke about folktales and legends in Japan, introducing mythological concepts and relating them to the manga. He also told very interesting tales from Japanese Folklore.

Little tree / Petit arbre. Co-Édition One Stroke / Les Trois Ourses, 2009. French, English, Japanese. © Katsumi Komagata, 2009

Call for papers: Conference "Freedom and Control in/of Children's Literature"

Vilnius University and Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invite established and young scholars, book historians, librarians and university teachers to participate in an international conference Freedom and Control in/of Children’s Literature, to mark the 20th anniversary of the reestablishment of Lithuanian Independence as well as the 20th anniversary of the Lithuanian section of IBBY.

Conference participants are invited to present papers on the changes in children’s literature after significant historical events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. The presenters are welcome to talk about Lithuanian children's literature. More broadly, the theme of the conference may be interpreted both as freedom in the development and the understanding of children’s literature, as well as a range of themes and issues children’s literature deals with.

More information on the official call for papers.

Ilona Kivirähk-Tower of Babel Honour Diploma laureate.
© IBBY Estonia

Tower of Babel Honour Diplomas

In November 2011, the Tower of Babel Honour Diplomas were awarded. The Diploma is given to a foreign author for an outstanding children’s book published in a foreign language and translated into Estonian. In 2011, the award went to Russian author Grigory Oster, translator Ilona Kivirähk and publishing house Varrak for the book Õuduste Kool [The School of Horrors].

Other nominees were:
Jay Asher Kolmteist põhjust [Thirteen Reasons], translator Liisa Raudsepp, publishing house Tänapäev;
Suzanne Collins Pilapasknäär [Mockingjay], translator Evelin Schapel, publishing house Tänapäev;
Janosch Oo, kui kaunis on Panama [The Trip to Panama], translator Merlin Laansoo, publishing house Kakaduu;
Walter Moers Kapten Sinikaru 13 ja 1/2 elu [13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear], translator Eva-Liisa Fillbrandt, publishing house Pegasus.

The aim of the award is to encourage the translation of outstanding foreign children’s books into Estonian.

Fairy Tales of the Sea — International Exhibition of Illustrations by artists from the Baltic Sea countries is on tour in Russia. It was opened in Pskov on February 22 and will travel to St Petersburg, Novgorod and Moscow.

On April 2, on International Children’s Book Day, IBBY Honour List Author 2012 Piret Raud announced the message from IBBY in Estonian Public Broadcasting and read a story from her new book Natuke napakad lood (Slightly Silly Stories). There were many events promoting reading  among children throughout Estonia.

IBBY Estonia Library in the Park will open again in May, where children have opportunity to read IBBY Honour List titles as well as the books awarded with the Tower of Babel Honour Diploma while visiting Kadrioru Park in Tallinn during summer months. On June 14 the children will have an opportunity to meet IBBY Honour List Authors and Illustrators there. The illustrators Piret Mildeberg and Jüri Mildeberg will be creating art with children and the authors Aino Pervik and Piret Raud will be reading from their books.

Story That the Whole World Told

IBBY Finland celebrated International Children’s Book Day 2012 by creating a joint story with children from around the world. Inspired by this year’s wonderful poster and theme (Once upon a time there was a story that the whole world told) we started to think what if instead of writing stories in different countries people would actually try to write one story together with the whole world. What would happen in that story? What would that story be about? The idea got so interesting that we decided to try it out for real. But instead of adults we thought this kind of co-telling could actually work better with young writers. So last January we contacted schools and organizations in different continents of the world and made one big story circle. The only limit that we gave for the imagination of our writers was that each group of children could write a maximum of one hundred words. We encouraged children to tell their part of the story in their own language and then send it back to us with an English translation.

The beginning of the story was made here in Finland and the writers were Finnish junior high school students. They used “Once upon a time there was story that the whole world told” as the first sentence. As an inspiration students used also this year's poster made by Juan Gedovius. After that we sent the same story to this year’s host country Mexico where an organization called "Colectivo Muneca Fea" continued it with a group of children. Colectivo Muneca Fea helps Otomi Indian children that work in the streets to go to school.

The next destination was the United States. We understood that International Children’s Book Day is actually celebrated on the same day as World Autism Awareness Day. So we contacted "My Giant Steps", which is an organization, dedicated to serving the needs of children and families affected by autism. Students from the elementary side at "Giant Steps" participated in writing the story, some during group sessions, others during individual 1:1 sessions.

From there on the story moved to India. This time the writers came from a foster home run by an association called AFRA. AFRA offers a safe home for children that otherwise would be living in the streets. After India the story went once more back to the United States where a group of English language learners from the Bowers Elementary School (Roane County, Tennessee) continued the story.

Last stop was Kenya, where children from the Osiri Beach volunteered to help us out. April 2 was just around the corner so it was time to finish the story. IBBY Finland has co-operated with an organization called "Osiri Beach Education and Career Forum" for a long time. This organization sponsors over fifty students in schools and seeks to rid the children and youth of Kenya and East Africa of poverty, ignorance and despair.

20 years of the Slovenian Section of IBBY

The celebration was concentrated on the International Children’s Book Day, on April 2nd 2012, with the exhibition on the Section and with the symposium on translating children’s literature, both organized in collaboration with Pionirska – Centre for Children’s and Youth Literature and Librarianship in the Ljubljana City Library. The celebration is in accord with this year's ICBD message by the Mexican Section of IBBY with the title Once upon a time, there was a story that the whole world told ...

The Slovenian Section of IBBY was established in the main Slovene Children's Library, The Pioneer Library, in 1992, shortly after the formation of the independent state of Slovenia. Tanja Pogačar was among the initiators of establishing the Slovenian Section of  IBBY and its president from 1992 to 2004.

It works on becoming the focal point for each institution or individual concerned with children's literature in Slovenia. It regularly informs the public about IBBY’s activities and is closely involved with reading promotion. It also fosters international links with the International Youth Library (IJB), the Biennale of Bratislava (BIB) and Bookbird, as well as with IBBY National Sections worldwide. 

In twenty years the Slovenian Section of IBBY has nominated nine authors, nine illustrators and ten translators of 27 Slovene children’s books  for the IBBY Honour List. For the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) and for the Hans Christian Andersen Award it has nominated the Slovene illustrators  Marlenka Stupica, Marija Lucija Stupica, Lilijana Praprotnik Zupančič (Lila Prap), Ančka Gošnik Godec, Alenka Sottler and the authors Svetlana Makarovič and Tone Pavček. It has nominated for the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award two programmes of the Slovene Reading Badge Society, the programme Roma people invited to the library.

The members of the Slovenian Section of IBBY regularly assist at the IBBY World Congresses every two years (often with paper presentations), international symposiums and professional seminars. 

More information on the section's website.

Tanja Pogacar, initiator of establishing the Slovenian Section of IBBY and its president from 1992 to 2004. © IBBY Slovenia

Slovene candidates for the H.C. Andersen Award and for ALMA.
© IBBY Slovenia

ICBD poster 1997 poster by Matjaž Schmidt. © IBBY Slovenia

Trauma in Children's Literature. Bookbird, Vol. 50. Issue 1

The first Issue of Bookbird in 2012 is a study of the potential children's literature has for helping young readers cope with trauma and matters they find difficult. It features articles on natural disasters and war as well as more individual tragedies such the murder of a sibling. This issue also introduces a new column – Children and Their Books – which encourages those who work directly with children and their literature (such as teachers, authors, publishers, librarians and parents) to write about their experiences and share them with others. With texts on Hurricane Katrina, 'Comfort Women' in Korean children's literature, the cultural revolution in China, the Holocaust as well as children's literature from Canada, Australia, France and South Africa, this issue offers a truly international view of the ways in which children's literature responds to trauma.

Hans Christian Andersen Award Nominees, Bookbird, Vol. 50 Issue 2

The second issue of 2012 presents short overviews of the lives and works of the 27 authors and 30 illustrators nominated for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Awards. These distinguished producers of the best children's literature in the world were nominated by 32 of IBBY's national sections. Although the prize winners are now known, the issue offers much more than a competition guide. As a whole, it provides a fascinating insight into the varied concerns of children's authors around the world, their activism and their delight in entertaining children. The illustrators' use of diverse materials, returning to older techniques or exploring the very latest technology to produce innovative images that celebrate children's capacity to think and feel.

Bookbird can be read on-line through Project Muse.
To subscribe, please fill out this form. More information on: IBBY's website.

Rencontres européennes [European encounters]. March 2012

This special issue of La Revue des livres pour enfants [Journal of children’s books] presents, in its first part, a selection of books from 10 European countries in their original language. The aim is to explore common benchmarks for European authors, illustrators, publishers, major trends…

The second part comprises richly illustrated articles presenting the makers of European children’s literature, not only those who create it but also those who analyze it or bring it to the reader.

This volume is based on various avents organized by IBBY France – National centre for children’s literature – La Joie par les livres: the seminar “European encounters on children’s literature” held every two years at the French national library (the last encounter took place in November 2010) and a seminar dedicated to children’s literature in Nordic countries (March 2011).

The summary is available in French. More information on the CNLJ-JPL’s website.

October 2012
	10-14 October 2012 'While you where sleeping', Frankfurt, Germany Frankfurt Book Fair. Guest of honour New Zealand. There will be a podium discussion about the Hans Christian Andersen Awards on Friday, 12 October at 10:00 in hall 3.0. For more information: Frankfurt Book Fair

November 2012

November 30
3rd European Encounter on Children’s Literature, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France

These biennial meetings bring together various experts from all over Europe who work in the field of books for young people.
Through discussions and exchanges, authors and illustrators, editors, researchers, librarians and teachers will reflect on the creation of comparative literature in Europe, as well as publishing practices, mediation and promotion, from the point of view of a common professional culture, founded on mutual knowledge.
Simultaneous translation in French and English will be provided.

Contact: Nathalie Beau

Anastasia Arkhipova (IBBY Russia)
Nathalie Beau (IBBY France)
Majo de Saedeleer (IBBY Belgium - Flemish speaking section)
Linda Dütsch (IBBY Germany)
Tilka Jamnik (IBBY Slovenia)
Maria Kulik (IBBY Poland)
Noora Miettinen (IBBY Finland)
Mare Müürsepp (IBBY Estonia)
Kestutis Urba (IBBY Lithuania)


And special thanks to David Pintor, the designer of the header, and to Liz Page, our proof-reader!

To subscribe to the IBBY European Newsletter, please send an e.mail to: subscribe.