Skip to main content

International Children’s Book Day

International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is annually celebrated on April 2, Danish author and poet Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday. Founded in 1967, ICBD has since been observed with special events featuring illustrators and authors, children’s book awards, and activities across schools and libraries.

 

The day promotes children’s access to books around the world, scholarly research regarding children and children’s literature, and the global inclusion of authors, illustrators, publishers, translators, university professors and students, librarians, booksellers, parents, and more.

 

This year, we are excited to be celebrating virtually with multi-lingual book readings, the announcement of the YA Translation Award, discussions about international initiatives promoting children’s books and reading, and the launch of Alexander Library’s International Youth Collection LibGuide!

 

Register for Rutgers’ Zoom celebration of ICBD

Poster Design by Roger Mello

More ways to celebrate at home

On International Children’s Book Day, the new ‘Read the World’ program invites authors to share online readings of their works with children and families during the coronavirus lockdown.

Learn More

Photo Credits: Italian author Elisabetta Dami opens the ‘Read the World’ program in a live presentation on her Instagram account. Image: Edizioni Piemme

For K-3
“Friends Seminary Service Learning Director, Leitzel Schoen, and Librarian Kelly Grimmett worked with Kindergarden and first grade students to create this resource as a service to the Lower School community during our annual celebration of Peace Week. This resource can work equally well as a basis for celebrating International Children’s Book Day. Using the Google map (http://goo.gl/maps/M7AvU) families are invited to read these stories and to consider using them as a launching point for a family discussion about peace and nonviolent communication. Click on each marker on the map to learn about the plot, access online resources, and receive a peace query to guide a family in reflection.”
Learn More
Subject Area: Information Literacy/Social Studies/ELA Grade Level: 3-6 (Ages 8-11)
Lesson Title: “Postcards from Around the World” Encyclopedia Lesson Time: 30 minutes
Information Literacy Standards: information literacy-to access information efficiently
“Ask the students if they have ever sent or received a postcard. Read the book Post Card Passages by Susan Joyce to understand the concept of a post card and the information it usually contains. Ask them where they think we could get some information on a country and have the students use encyclopedias and other reference sources. Have students work with a partner to create postcards and send them to one another.”
Learn More
With the belief that every child has the right to become a reader, IBBY is a non-profit organization with an official status in UNESCO and UNICEF that was founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1953.
From policy-making within the United Nations to providing funding for reading development projects, IBBY supports a network of people from around the world who are committed to bringing books and children together.
Today, it is composed of 80 National Sections all over the world and operates on national, regional, and international levels.
Learn about the IBBY Children in Crisis Fund, Silent Books, and more awards and activities.
Visit IBBY.org

“Everything you look at can be turned into a story… you can make a tale of everything you touch.”
– Hans Christian Andersen (The Elder-Tree Mother)

IBBY's ICBD Posters from Previous Years