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the<br />
world<br />
through<br />
picture<br />
<strong>books</strong><br />
Foreword<br />
By Viviana Quiñones<br />
Chair, IFLA Section Libraries<br />
for Children and Young Adults<br />
viviana.quinones@bnf.fr<br />
We are very happy to publish the second edition of The World through Picture Books, enriched<br />
with sixteen new annotated lists. This new edition proves even more the very enthusiastic,<br />
skilled participation of librarians and the great success of this international programme.<br />
The programme deals with something we children’s librarians must never lose sight<br />
of, even if we are so busy with new technologies, budget restrictions, everyday work…:<br />
read children’s <strong>books</strong> and choose the best ones for our readers. And what does “best” mean?<br />
One thing it surely means is very good <strong>books</strong> from the readers’ own country and from as many<br />
other countries as possible… This is why, inspired by Kazuko Yoda’s request to our Committee<br />
for advice on the” top ten” picture <strong>books</strong> in Committee members’ countries, we launched<br />
“The World through Picture Books” programme in 2011.<br />
Librarians from fifty-two countries (or parts of countries) have made their choices which we<br />
publish here, with book presentations in the thirty-seven languages of publication, together<br />
with the English translation. Papers on picture <strong>books</strong> in several countries were presented<br />
at IFLA conferences in Helsinki, Singapore and Lyon and are on-line. Thanks to publishers’<br />
generosity, two sets of touring book exhibitions were made, that have been shown in Finland,<br />
Japan, Korea, Italy, France, Reunion Island and Serbia. These collections are based in the<br />
National Libraries of France and Japan and are available to be booked by any country wishing<br />
to exhibit them.<br />
We wish to warmly thank all country co-ordinators and all children’s librarians in all the<br />
countries that have worked for this programme: it is their participation that makes it valuable.<br />
We also wish to thank Annie Everall for the hard co-ordination work she has done and finally,<br />
our thanks to all publishers, who made the exhibitions possible.<br />
The programme has allowed for librarians in each country to work together, to reflect on their<br />
own book creation and to share it with the world and on the other hand, to discover other<br />
cultures through the infinite richness of picture book publishing. The World through Picture<br />
Books celebrates bibliodiversity and language diversity. Children’s literature is a treasure for<br />
young and not so young people. Some countries’ best <strong>books</strong> are very well known, but those<br />
from most countries are not… We hope these lists of favourites from all continents will allow<br />
for many happy new readings all over the world.<br />
the world through picture <strong>books</strong> • foreword • 5