37th IBBY World Congress in Moscow September, 2021

Poster art by Ivan Aleksandrov

Great Big World Through Children’s Books: 

National and Foreign Literature — 

Role, Value, Impact on Young Readers in Different Countries

I have just spent three very interesting days in Moscow!  No just kidding I was not able to be there in person we are in COVID lockdown in my city and country but I did attend virtually putting my toe into the world of online conferences.  I will give you a few reflections about this at the end of this post.

Here is the scene at the conference where they had 200 participants in person and others online from 52 countries. The conference was presented in five languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. 

IBBY Congresses have taken place in Greece, New Zealand, Mexico, Great Britain, China, Norway, USA, Sweden, South Africa, three times in Spain and Germany, twice in Italy, and in other IBBY member countries. Russia joined IBBY in 1968.

You can see all of the presenters and their topics here. 

The Keynote and Plenary speakers included Bart Moeyaert (Belguim 2019 ALMA winner); Cedric Christian Ninaussi Elong (Cameroon); Roger Mello (Brasil); Zohreh Ghaeni (Iran); Deborah Soria (Italy); Leigh Turina (Canada Children with Disabilities list). Junko Yokota chaired a splendid session with past HCA winners - Jacqueline Woodson (USA); Albertine (Switzerland); David Almond (UK); Cao Wenxuan (China) and Igor Oleynikov (Russia).

Here is Cedric Christian Ninaussi Elong from Cameroon.  His session was so inspirational. His bio explains the content of his presentation:  Founder of non-commercial organization “Muna Kalati”, promoting the accessibility and visibility of African Children Books, entrepreneur in education, digital learning consultant, educational content expert, tutor and facilitator, researcher of games, mobile learning and African children literature. 

Luckily I found his whole presentation on the internet.  His talk started with this side:

This was a dynamic way to get everyone thinking and moving.

Deborah Soria The Power of Silence

Deborah Soria The Silent Book collection and the library at Lampedusa. I wish I had a transcript of this moving presentation. I loved her inspirational idea of little loves turning into projects completed with passion and purpose. Little children, who are deeply suffering, need books. Silent books contain stories that allow the children to take their mind somewhere else - to dream, to imagine. Make sure you look at my link above to read about the camps, the Red suitcase project and the camps they run. 

This was, for me, one of two extremely moving and inspirational presentations at the congress. The other was with Zohreh Ghaeni (Iran). Read more about her Read with me program. 

When Zohreh shared this image there was a collective gasp from the in person and virtual audience. She asked us to think about the situation in Afghanistan and then read these words from the song "I am woman". Such a powerful way to begin her lecture.

Image Source: The World October 25, 2016

I am woman, hear me roar

In numbers too big to ignore

And I know too much to go back an' pretend

'Cause I've heard it all before

And I've been down there on the floor

No one's ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to, I can do anything

I am strong (strong)

I am invincible (invincible)

I am woman

You can bend but never break me

'Cause it only serves to make me

More determined to achieve my final goal

And I come back even stronger

Not a novice any longer

'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

Oh yes I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to, I can do anything

I am strong (strong)

I am invincible (invincible)

I am woman

I am woman watch me grow

See me standing toe to toe

As I spread my lovin' arms across the land

But I'm still an embryo

With a long long way to go

Until I make my brother understand

Oh yes I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to I can face anything

I am strong (strong)

I am invincible (invincible)

I am woman

Oh, I am woman

I am invincible

I am strong

I am woman

I am invincible

I am strong

I am woman

I also hope the session by Bart Moeyaert is published. He shared some very wise words about teachers and reading and the need to fill teachers minds with children's books. Take a look at his ALMA acceptance speech which covers many of the themes he discussed at the Congress.

The concurrent sessions were grouped under the following categories with up to four presenter in each time slot so there were lots of session to choose from and obviously I could only attend a few. Here in Sydney the time zone difference meant I tuned in at 4pm and continued until 1am but there were further sessions through to 4am which I had to miss.  There will be a chance for conference delegates to catch up so I am compiling a list of the sessions I would like to hear and also some I want to revisit.

1. Sociology, anthropology and psychology of children's reading

• Age and reading. Practices, challenges, solutions
• Gender and reading: traditions and novelties
• Cognitive approaches to children's reading
• Sociology of children's literature and children's reading
• The development of creativity in children through reading. Role models in literature
• Professional literature on children’s reading (educators, librarians, psychologists)
• Representation of diversity in children’s literature
• Criteria of “dangerous” and “safe” books 
• The role of children's literature in the education and development of children: analysis of work experience

Under this heading I attended:

Children and the elderly: literature as demonstrations of developing agency in sociocultural contexts Janelle Mathis, Denton, USA

This session made me think about an old, long out of print book from Australia - A Rabbit named Harris. I have talked previously about The Old Man.  Key texts from this presentation:

2. The art of telling stories

• Theatre for children and theatrical formats of work to involve children in reading
• Storytelling and other interactive forms of work with children
• Children’s literature in print and digital formats: preservation and representation of culture and history of different countries for children, parents and educators
• Children’s books with augmented reality
• Innovative programs on involving children into reading (designed by psychologists, educators, librarians, etc.)
• Edutainment. New formats of the educational literature
• Wimmelbuchs, toy books, pop-up books, movable books, and other formats

The term Wimmelbuch was a new one for me. Here are two texts from the Silent book collection which demonstrate this idea. It means a panorama, pages where you look closely to follow characters:

3. Modern World and Future World. Non-fiction Literature for Children

• Non-fiction books for children of primary school age
• Non-fiction and popular science books for teens
• “Life learning books” (today and tomorrow)
• Problem of veracity in modern non-fiction for children and youth
• Old and new formats: how to get children’s attention to reading non-fiction
• Popular scientific and educational online resources for children: media, YouTube channels etc.
• Design and illustration in non-fiction for children and youth

Under this heading I attended:

Looking at the world through the outstanding international non-fiction books Terrell Young, Provo, USA; Evelyn B. Freeman, USA  

Here is a web link to the USBBY list. This session specifically focused on non fiction and biography. If you work in a library you might explore these lists for titles to add to your collection. These books are some of the best in the world.

4. The visual world of children's books

• The role of book illustration for initiating family reading. The role of illustration in books for children of different ages (toddlers, preschoolers, primary school children and young adults)
• Children's literature in various formats: books, multimedia, Internet
• The role of Internet sources. Web-platforms for the popularization of children's literature
• Popularization of children's literature with the help of media personalities
• Modern and classic illustration in the reading circle of a modern child
• Interaction of authors and illustrators in the illustrated books
• Comic books, graphic novels, author’s illustrated books (picture books), and other formats of visual books for children and youth
• From books to cartoons and back

Under this heading I attended:

When the picture meets the picture: Intervisuality artistic path in the wordless book Artemis Papailia, Alexandroupoli, Greece

Intervisuality is like our term intertextuality except in this case the focus is on illustrations. Here are a few things to look for - images that move between pages; illustrators who include their own books in illustrations (our Bob Graham does this); books within books; Folktale and fairy tale references in the illustrations (Anthony Browne The Tunnel); Architectural installations such as famous bridges (the example was the ANZAC bridge in Mirror by our Jeannie Baker); Monuments and maps; Poster and advertising; images from famous paintings (Anthony Browne does this) and parodies of famous paintings; references to a specific artist such as Anno and Escher; and mixed artistic styles. 

Wordless picture books and creative ways to approach “cultural diversity” in education Maria Chatzianastasi, Marina Rodosthenous-Balafa, Agni Stylianou-Georgiou; Frenaros, Cyprus

See my images above under the heading Wimmelbuch.

5. Ethnic culture and multilingualism. Children's literature in national languages

• Presentation of publishing projects on children's literature in national languages and dialects
• Children's literature in rare languages. The problem of the disappearance of literary languages and literatures
• A book as a way of preservation of language and cultural traditions
• Multilingualism and the challenge of migration. Children's literature as a tool for the social adaptation of an emigrant child
• Rare fairy tale storylines in the languages of ethnical minorities

Under this heading I attended:

The question of nationality in Palestinian children literature Hanada Kharma, Ramallah, Palestine

Immigrant child character from the author’s point of view: re-producing of loneliness Melike Günyüz, Istanbul, Turkey

Building a catalogue of Indigenous texts for youths: reflections in the light of postcolonial theory Jessica Tolentino, Brazil

This presentation highlighted a resource that I think could be a very valuable tool when you are looking for indigenous texts. It is called the Willakuy project.  The materials are available in Instagram and in other formats. I was excited to see Australian titles included in their catalogue such as Baby Business by Jasmine Seymour. In the opening pages of the catalogue the authors explain their rigorous selection criteria.

6. Projects to promote reading among children and adolescents (joint projects of museums, libraries, publishing houses, theaters, and other cultural institutions)

• Organization of the specialized book festivals and fairs (national and international) for the representation of modern children's book publishing
• Outstanding projects for children's books promotion
• Literature contests and international campaigns for children and specialists on children’s book and reading
• Exhibition interactive projects on children’s illustration and literature
• Children’s book museums and theme parks
• Information and methodological resources on children's literature for specialists (the problem of promoting children's literature)
• Cross-projects for publishers
• Volunteer practice - children's and youth reading support initiatives

Under this heading I attended:

Reading changes lives! The Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation and the International Children’s Laureate Movement Robyn Sheahan-Bright, Gladstone, Australia

Read more here. Our 2020-21 Laureate is Ursula Dubosarsky.

Prizing balance: An exploration of book award initiatives run by international school librarian networks Katie Day, Singapore

In this presentation (I missed the very beginning) the speakers mentioned the Red Dot Awards and the GLLI Award. 

The provision of home language books in a New Zealand refugee school programme: An IBBY-Yamada funded project Nicola Daly, Libby Limbrick, Frances Plumpton; Hamilton, New Zealand

This is an utterly inspirational program which gives new arrivals access to books in their own language. I am in awe of this wonderful work. Read more here. This program is practical and so important.

7. Literary translation of children's literature

• Specifics of work with children’s book translation
• The choice of children's literature for translation. What translated children’s literature is popular in different countries?
• National or translated foreign literature – what do readers choose?
• Translated and non-translated literatures. The literature of which countries is being unfairly overlooked?
• Translation, adaptation and localization
• Translation of picture books and toddler’s books
• Portrait of a country in the mirror of children’s literature

Under this heading I attended

The main trends in contemporary translated English literature for children, popular among Russian readers (3-6, 7-10 years old) Violetta Minina, Saint Petersburg, Russia

It was funny and interesting to see popular authors whose books are found in Australian school libraries translated into Russian by authors such as Sue Bentley; Holly Webb; Harriet Muncaster; Daisy Meadows and series such as Mercy Watson, Mog (Judith Kerr) and the picture book Handa's Surprise. In this presentation I learnt a new word - Inspirational Literature. In some US bookshops this is a whole section. My interpretation was that this might apply to books about mindfulness or perhaps books about famous and not so famous people such as those found in the Little People Big Dreams series. 

Similarities meet differences with courage Tuula Pere, Helsinki, Finland

Take a look at these books by Tuula:

In this book - Stella and her spiky friend - the US publisher was concerned children might confuse the pharmacist with a vet. And in another Stella book there were issues about school lunches which are provided free for all children in Finland. This was a fascinating session where the author Anna shared images from her books which were questioned by international publishers.  It made me think about the page in Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten where the family enjoy the sunrise from the roof of their house. I remember Bob saying in some markets it was thought this might encourage children to actually climb onto a roof and thus put themselves in danger!

8. History of children's literature. Children's literary criticism

• Theory of children's literature in discussions
• Children's literature in the national and world history
• The question of the children's literature research methods
• Children's literature in the mirror of criticism
• History of literary genres in the history of childhood
• Textual criticism of children's literature
• Criticism, PR and advertising

Under this heading I attended:

The Universal and the Unique: literary portrayals of child homelessness in Seven Countries Clara Mikita, Linda T. Parsons; Dublin, USA

Here is a link to the ERIC journal article.  I was pleased to see I had read three of the key texts mentioned in this moving and important presentation:

Roger Mello Hans Christian Andersen award winner

I met Roger Mello at the USBBY conference in Austin, Texas.  He graciously shared the text for Lemon Butterfly by Cao Wenxuan. You can see here his cover design for Bookbird the IBBY Journal and some art which he talked about in his Keynote. Roger and other HCA winners designed a series of beautiful scarves which IBBY are selling to raise funds for their vital projects around the world.

Bookbird is our IBBY Journal 

Here is the cover of their new book which celebrates their 60th anniversary.  The cover art is by Russian HCA award winner Igor Oleynikov. Valerie Coghlan shared this beautiful quote from Hans Christian Andersen with the audience.

The conference had a wealth of sessions. Here are some I hope to attend over the coming days:

• Chores in Amish-themed children's literature Kana Oyabu, Kanazawa, Japan
• Some experiences with shared reading: youth protection centres, prisons, schools, and libraries Marijn Brouckaert, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
• Storytelling: by children - for children - about children Patricia Amichi, Sydney, Australia
• The effect of image language teaching on improving primary school students' literacy - taking picture books as an example (Yawen Su, Beijing, China
• The mythology of nomads in children's and youth literature Adam Kapanov, Almaty, Kazakhstan
• Images of the Holocaust in Polish literature for children and youth (since 2007) Katarzyna Slany, Kraków, Poland
• Immigration and literature: capturing real-life experiences of immigrants to develop empathy and critical thinking among young Children Thandeka Sibiya, Budapest, Hungary
• Veracity in non-fiction books for children of primary school age Linda M. Pavonetti, Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann; Lake Orion, USA
• Implicit reiteration of reading visual texts: revisiting the picture book Wendy Stephens, Huntsville, USA
• Role and impact of migration on children's Literature Swati Raje, Pune, India
• And David Almond in conversation with other HCA past winners

Attending virtually or attending in person. Both have strengths and weaknesses. 

In person it is great to network, see and handle the books on display (Silent Books and Disability titles), visit libraries and other venues in the host city, ask questions, meet the presenters, and of course enjoy the hospitality offered.  I did ask to see the HCA dinner menu and it all sounded delicious (see below). I should also mention the poster sessions which are always a highlight of an IBBY Congress. In person it is terrific to talk directly with the people about their posters and programs. 

Attending virtually I could move between the concurrent sessions without rush between rooms, my conference partner and I were able to chat between our two locked down houses using text messages, and I could use my computer to look up book titles and other programs as they were mentioned. I also enjoyed using the chat function as a way to briefly talk to other attendees.

Some issues - the technology was not always easy to use; shared screens were unfortunately very fuzzy because of the camera position in the break out rooms and many PowerPoint slides contained way too much information in small size text making them impossible to read. It would have been good to have a print friendly version of the program with the hall venues specified.  

Overall this was a fabulous three days. I cannot begin to think of all the complexities involved in running a hybrid program like this.  Huge congratulations go to the organising committee especially Angela Lebedeva.

I recommend you make a plan now to attend the 38th Congress in 2022:

Or you might consider these future IBBY Congresses in 2024 Trieste, Italy and 2026 Ottawa, Canada.

One more thing - throughout the whole congress I had this song in my head. In 1980 my parents were supposed to attend the Olympic games in Moscow but sadly illness forced them to cancel at the last minute. I know they were so excited at the prospect of visiting Moscow.