Today April 2 marks the International Children's Book and Youth Day, taking advantage of the anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), Danish writer of such famous stories as "The Little Mermaid" or "The Ugly Duckling". A special opportunity to see or read a book with our children, a stimulating and fun activity where there are them.
Since 1967, the IBBY (International Organization for the Youth Book) celebrates this day. Each year, a member country of the organization acts as an international sponsor of this date, and in 2010 Spain has been the chosen country.
The motto for the celebration invites us through an exclamation to find and open a book: "A book awaits you, look for it!".
The commemorative poster that you can see on these lines is the work of the illustrator Noemí Villamuza, and shows us a suggestive image of a tree from which books sprout, with a child perched reading its leaves. Climbing a tree is an exciting game, reading can also be.
The message has been created by the writer Eliacer Cansino), and I recommend you read it to your children as a sign of the magic and the different worlds that books can teach you. I leave you with a fragment of the special message for Children's Book Day:
One day, my hand, looking for something, touched the back of the book. If I were a book, I would say it like this: “One day a child's hand touched my cover and I felt that I was unfolding my candles and began to sail.” What a surprise when my eyes finally faced that object! It was a small book of red pasta and golden filigree. I opened it expectantly as someone who finds a chest and wants to know its contents. And it was no wonder. As soon as I started reading I understood that the adventure was served: the courage of the protagonist, the kind characters, the wicked, the illustrations with footnotes that looked again and again, the danger, the surprises ..., everything, transported me To an exciting and unknown world.
You can read the full text from here.
These holidays we have more free time to enjoy those pages full of drawings, mysteries and adventures with our children. Have you found the books that are waiting for you? Happy Children's Book Day 2010.
Official Site | IBBY, Oepli More information | Blank Paper On Babies and more | Today International Children's Book Day, Decalogue for parents, Reading Promotion Plan, Capital sins against child reading, How to encourage reading in our child
