Since 1967, on 2 April (on or … around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday !), International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to promote children’s books and to inspire a love of reading. Each year IBBY (The International Board on Books for Young People) decides upon a theme and invites a prominent author from the host country to write a message to the children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design a poster.
2004 was the year Greece was chosen: Angeliki Varella was appointed to write the message to the children of the world and Nicholas Andrikopoulos to design a poster of the year.
This year, the message was written by Cuban-American poet Margarita Engle and the poster illustrated by the Brazilian artist Roger Mello.
Here is the poem: (The poster of the day and the poster with the poem in other languages as well )
The music of words
When we read, our minds grow wings.
When we write, our fingers sing.
Words are drumbeats and flutes on the page,
soaring songbirds and trumpeting elephants,
rivers that flow, waterfalls tumbling,
butterflies that twirl
high in the sky!
Words invite us to dance—rhythms, rhymes, heartbeats,
hoofbeats, and wingbeats, old tales and new ones,
fantasies and true ones.
Whether you are cozy at home
or racing across borders toward a new land
and a strange language, stories and poems
belong to you.
When we share words, our voices
become the music of the future,
peace, joy and friendship,
a melody
of hope.
‘The Fantastic Flying books of Mr. Morris Lessmore’ (written and illustrated by William Joyce ) is a little gem, an ideal way to celebrate this day! A true masterpiece about the love of Mr. Lessmore for books. In a world of eBooks, and apps, the power of the traditional book is still holding strong. A synopsis from Kirkus Reviews:
The story, in a nutshell, concerns the titular book-loving Mr. Morris Lessmore, whose personal library is blown away in a terrible wind but who finds meaning caring for the books in a marvellous library. Filled with both literary (Shakespeare, Humpty-Dumpty) and film references (The Wizard of Oz, The Red Balloon and Buster Keaton), the picture book version of Joyce’s story has a quiet contemplative charm that demonstrates the continuing allure of the printed page. Paradoxically, the animated books of the film and app are captured as though in a series of frozen frames. The motif of the bound, printed book is everywhere. Even the furnishings and architectural details of the old-fashioned library in which the books “nest” like flying birds recall the codex. The unifying metaphor of life as story is a powerful one, as is the theme of the transformative power of books. The emphasis on connecting readers and books and the care of books pays homage to librarianship. Rich in allusions (“Less is More”) and brilliant in depicting the passage of time (images conflate times of day, seasons and years), Joyce’s work will inspire contemplation of the power of the book in its many forms.
William Joyce holding an Oscar for his short film “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” during a parade in his honour in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana.
Ironically, this book in praise of books, first appeared as a much-praised iPad app and Academy Award-winning animated short film !!! The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a 2011 animated short film directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, and produced by Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. The film has received 14 awards (including the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival, “Best Animated Short” at the Cinequest Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.)
Buster Keaton, an American silent film actor, comedian and stunt performer was the model for the character of Morris Lessmore. The film drew inspiration from the storm scene in Keaton’s film ‘Steamboat Bill, Jr.’ and the tornado from ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Also an inspiration was the real-life Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in 2005. Like The Wizard of Oz, the film utilizes the contrast of colour and black-and-white as a narrative device. In this case, the black-and-white represents the sadness and despair brought about by the storm.
Here is the short film:
And here is a worksheet I made about both the book and the film:
For more food for thought (and laughs!) about books watch these short videos:
And…my favourite ad (Paper VS ipad or tablet): Emma!
And here’s a worksheet for the adverisement ‘Emma’:
You can always visit my eclass library to find information about the day in Greek (and many other interesting ebooks both in Greek and English!)
