Sunday, June 28, 2020

IBBY Silent Books 2019


IBBY USA Imagine by Raul Colon.  Publisher Blurb: After passing a city museum many times, a boy finally decides to go in. He passes wall after wall of artwork until he sees a painting that makes him stop and ponder. Before long the painting comes to life and an afternoon of adventure and discovery unfolds, changing how he sees the world ever after. Simon and Schuster

I adore "silent" books but I call them wordless books or textless books because they are far from silent. IBBY have been collecting the best examples of these truly wonderful books from around the world for a collection.  Here are the details from IBBY:

"In response to the waves of refugees from Africa and the Middle East arriving in the Italian island, Lampedusa, IBBY launched the project “Silent Books, from the world to Lampedusa and back” in 2012. The project involved creating the first library on Lampedusa to be used by local and immigrant children. The second part required creating a collection of silent books (wordless picture books) that could be understood and enjoyed by children regardless of language. These books were collected from IBBY National Sections, over one hundred books from over twenty countries. There are, to date, four collections of Silent Books: the Silent Books Collection 2013 (110 books), the Silent Books Collection 2015 (51 books), the Silent Books Collection 2017 (79 books) and the Silent Books Collection 2019 (67 books)."


In this post I am going to share the covers of some books from the 2019 collection. You might like to consider adding these to your library collection. In past years (2013, 2015 and 2017) Australian books from IBBY Australia have featured in the Silent books collections. Take a look here to see the titles.


IBBY CANADA Blue Rider by Geraldo Valerio.  Publisher Blurb: On a gray and crowded city sidewalk, a child discovers a book. That evening, the child begins to read and is immediately carried beyond the repetitive sameness of an urban skyscape into an untamed natural landscape. The child experiences a moment of true joy, and as if in response to that single blissful moment, people seem to come alive in all the other rooms of the apartment block. Thanks to the power of one book, an entire society is transformed. Groundwood Books



IBBY UK Once upon a Snowstorm by Richard Johnson. Publisher Blurb: The story of a father and his son who live by themselves in a cosy cabin in the woods. But, one day they are separated out in the beautifully falling snow. The boy is lost and falls asleep. When he wakes up he is surrounded by blinking eyes, a rabbit, a fox, an owl and all manner of other creatures have surrounded him! But with a bear hug he and the woodland animals become best of friends! But soon he misses his dad and so the animals bring him back home. The father opens up his heart and home, and lets nature and love envelop their previously lonely existence. Allen and Unwin



IBBY NETHERLANDS To the Market by Noelle Smit.  Blurb: Stalls full of vegetables, bread, fish and cheese, but also with olives and nuts, flowers, clothing and fabrics. Market vendors who promote their wares. A terrace or ice cream cart between the stalls. In this large picture book, Noëlle Smit takes you to the market. And there is everything to see, taste, smell and hear! 'Noëlle Smit shows what makes a good market so attractive: it is a very pleasant, multicultural celebration of the good life. ... 


IBBY CANADA Woodrow at Sea by Wallace Edwards.  Publisher blurb:  In this wordless picture book, Woodrow the elephant rows off to find adventure and discovers a mouse marooned at sea. As the two go through many adventures and rescue each other from dangers, they discover that the best thing to find on a journey is a true friend.

Award-winning author-illustrator Wallace Edwards is striking out in a bold, new artistic direction. Woodrow At Sea is a friendship story in the tradition of the great epics, but made accessible to the very young. Loose, energetic illustrations carry the story in this wordless picture book, which is packaged in a sturdy book format with a padded cover, extra-heavy pages, rounded corners, and a reinforced binding.  Book Depository


IBBY KOREA Lines by Suzy Lee.  Publisher Blurb: It starts with a line. Whether made by the tip of a pencil or the blade of a skate, the magic starts there.  And magic once again flows from the pencil and imagination of internationally acclaimed artist Suzy Lee. With the lightest of touches, this masterwork blurs the lines between real and imagined, reminding us why Lee's books have been lauded around the world, recognized on New York Times Best Illustrated Books lists and nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international honor given to children's book creators. This seemingly simple story about a young skater on a frozen pond will charm the youngest of readers while simultaneously astounding book enthusiasts of any age. Book Depository


IBBY KOREA Bye Penguin by Seou Lee.  In Korea this book is called "Cracks".  It will be available in "English" later this year. Here is a the UK Publisher blurb: You’d think that a penguin stranded on an ever-smaller block of ice, on a trip around the world wouldn’t be so.FUN! But it is! There’s our fearless penguin passing the gondolas of Venice.there’s penguin floating by the Sydney Opera House! From the Aurora Borealis to a hilarious encounter with a surfer in Hawaii, this is a wordless journey that truly FROLICS. In fact, the adventures are so amusing that most readers will barely register the nod to global warming until it’s slipped right in on the breath of a laugh. ChronicleBooks



IBBY SOUTH AFRICA I can Dress Myself by Bridget Krone.  A little girl’s mum is sleeping, so she decides to dress herself.  You can read the whole book here.



IBBY NETHERLANDS Island by Mark Janssen. Publisher blurb: A father and daughter are shipwrecked and washed ashore on a small island. What they don't know, but you can see, is that that island is not what it seems. Island protects and protects the father and girl without their knowing, and leads them through a beautiful world until they are saved. And then it turns out that Island has not gone unnoticed. … In Island he (Mark Janssen) surpasses himself once again. His water world is full of sparkling colours, beauty, but also sometimes threatening danger. So surprising that you hardly want the father and girl saved. It's a world where you want to immerse yourself time and time again, and luckily you can with Island. Lemniscaat


IBBY NETHERLANDS Come with me by Linde Faas. Publisher blurb: A girl walks into a boy's bedroom with a balloon, drawing paper and pencils. Did he just wake up? Is he having a pajama day? Is he ill? You can think of that yourself in this wordless picture book ... Let your imagination guide you, while the children are transferred to the world by the big balloon and their imagination, along tropical birds and winter landscapes full of penguins, through a colorful underwater world and a green splashing jungle. until it is time to return to reality.  The book lends itself to telling countless stories: about experiences and fantasy, about adventures and friendship, about the magic of drawings - the possibilities are endless. A magical picture book about the power of fantasy. Lemniscaat


IBBY ARGENTINA Aquarium by Cynthia Alonso. Blurb: A girl ventures to the water's edge, dreaming of a new friend. And, just like that, a beguiling red fish leaps into her life. But is friendship a sea these two can navigate together? From debut Argentinian author-illustrator Cynthia Alonso comes a wordless picture book about the timeless beauty of nature, the transcendent power of connection, and the importance of letting go. Goodreads


IBBY BELGIUM Monkey on the Street by Leo Timmers. Blurb: Papa Monkey and Little Monkey are on their way. But the street is very busy and they are moving so slowly! Little Monkey loses patience and jumps onto the fire engine. Up the ladder from there and he joins a TV crew! Then the garbage truck, an aquarium bus, a food cart for rabbits packed with carroty treats, Arctic animals traveling by snow globe, a jewel thief's getaway car . . .  There is so much going on in the street, it's become a playground! Each vehicle in this wordless picture book contains a world of detail, activity and humour to share with curious toddlers.



IBBY BELGIUM  Party in the Clouds by Tom Schamp.  Blurb: Without words, Tom Schamp tells countless stories about the inhabitants of a skyscraper. Meet a gardener, a mysterious cat, a mermaid, a lion who loves fast cars and a sailor. And join the party table, high in the cloudsWatch a video of this fold-out book.



IBBY FINLAND We had to Leave by Sanna Pelliccioni. Blurb: This wordless picture book tells the story of a family: first all is well, but then the war begins and they have to flee. After a long journey, the family gets a new home. Wordless picture books have a long tradition and their importance grows with multiculturalism. The child himself or together with the adult can create a story around the images based on their own world of experience. An immigrant child does not feel like an outsider because of a foreign text but is able to read the book on an equal footing with everyone, and on the other hand, anyone gets to experience what it feels like to leave their own home.




IBBY ITALY The World in my Garden by Irene Penazzi.  Blurb: A garden, three children, four seasons, and an infinite number of animals.  In this colorful book without words, the three little protagonists spend time in the open air, giving life to every type of game : they build houses, climb trees, observe fireflies, invite friends, light bonfires ... A year-long party, illustrated by tables full of details, all to be discovered.




IBBY SLOVENIA Where are you by Marta Bartolj. Blurb: The book shows the power of simple actions to set an example to people, it is a call to cooperation. Book title Where are you? summarizes the content of the story, where one good deed motivates another and thus a chain of good deeds is created. At the same time, the title also poses a question to the individual about where he stands as a human being. Behind the work, in addition to its deep message value, there is also an interesting story about its origin. The illustrator involved characters and stories from real life - the puppy on the cover is actually named Brko, and his unfortunate beginning had an extremely happy ending. The world is full of tiny, unnoticed acts of kindness that sometimes linger even between the covers. 





IBBY NETHERLANDS Saturday by Saskia Halfmouw. Burb: Finally! It's Saturday. No school! You can sleep in. If you don't have to play football early. Or go to the market or supermarket to do your shopping. You are going to choose a nice new book in the library. Or you dive into the pool. There is so much to do on Saturday. Experience it in this large viewing and search book about the best day of the week!  Do you recognize people and animals? See if you can find them in the next scene. From footballer to skater and street-drawing girl to small collector, to reading teacher to all kinds of parents, dogs and a lady who would like to be a mermaid ... Artist Saskia Halfmouw, known for the Secret books and Foeksia the mini witch by Paul van Loon, also has a fairytale figure hidden on each plate. Can you find them? The solution is at the back of the book.



IBBY SWEDEN  Dog Walk by Sven Nordqvist. Blurb: Just a small round of kisses. Now don't go too far away! Well, just a little round. And don't be gone for too long! …  How long is it? You may wonder. And who really is going out with whom? A new picture book by Sven Nordqvist where he, with the help of imagination and skill, takes us on a dog walk that becomes a little longer and more adventurous than was intended. The fantastic pictures speak for themselves in this textless book.




IBBY USA Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell. Publisher blurb: Winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal.  A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home? Paintings rich with feeling tell this satisfying story of friendship and trust. Here is a book set on a wintry night that will spark imaginations and warm hearts, from Matthew Cordell, author of Trouble Gum and Another Brother. Macmillan



IBBY UK Caged by Duncan Annand. Blurb: Whilst two men chop down trees to create a clearing for their elaborate aviary filled with colourful parrots, a little bluebird constructs her nest in the boughs of a neighbouring tree. Here she lays her eggs, watching as the cages are piled higher and higher until at last a dome is placed on the very top. As the men below celebrate. the tiny bird flutters over and lands in top of the structure with disastrous consequences for the men and freedom for the parrots. … The story encourages you to think about freedom and what it means. It shows that the actions of the individual can make a real difference to the plans of those in charge. In ‘Caged’, the men get their comeuppance; the birds, their liberty. ‘Caged’ is a wonderfully illustrated tale about freedom and helping others. North Sommerset Teacher’s Book Award




IBBY UK A Stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker. Publisher blurb: This year’s summer vacation will be very different for a young girl and her family without Sascha, the beloved family dog, along for the ride. But a wistful walk along the beach to gather cool, polished stones becomes a brilliant turning point in the girl’s grief. There, at the edge of a vast ocean beneath an infinite sky, she uncovers, alongside the reader, a profound and joyous truth. In his first picture book following the conclusion of his best-selling Journey trilogy, Aaron Becker achieves a tremendous feat, connecting the private, personal loss of one child to a cycle spanning millennia — and delivering a stunningly layered tale that demands to be pored over again and again. Walker Books


Read some ideas here about reading and using Silent Books:


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