In the era of dark dungeon of the Internet, children are getting ready to sink into the ocean of books at the international Children’s Book Day (ICBD) celebration that are held on April 2, as global annual event.
After celebrating various days like fathers, mothers, friendships, chocolates, roses, valentine days and so on. It’s time for us to celebrate for children by participating and contributing in International Book Day especially made for them.
Such Days are significant also in the sense it generates love for reading among children particularly these days when reading for pleasure has been displaced by studying and cramming to get good marks in examinations. The Book Day would also diverted our children from TV and internet, which is best noted as chewing gum for the eyes are dangerous for it as well.
The Children’s Book Day also gets them interested in reading for pleasure so that they could enjoy reading and not inevitably for the information only which is no doubt the ultimate goal.
Each year the International Children’s Book Day is organised in different nations. This year Thailand is the host country for ICBD festival with the theme “Books Enlighten; Knowledge Delights.”
The day is celebrated to honour one of greatest children’s writers, Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on April 2 in 1805 in Odense, Denmark, for his inspirational writing to create children’ love for reading. Working initially in his father’s factory, later displayed his creativity in writing poetry and succeeded in publishing a volume of poetry in 1830.
He is known in the world of books for his masterpiece fairytales “The Tin Soldier,” “The Tinderbox,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Snow Queen,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and “The Little Mermaid” which acclaimed him popularity worldwide.
The ICBD is sponsored by a non-profit social organisation IBBY (nternational Board on Books for Young People) representing an international network of people with the sole aim to bring books and children together.
The IBBY provides opportunity to its different National Section each year to be the host of International Children Book festival. The Board 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, which are used in different ways to promote books and reading.
Arrangements are made to organise special events and celebrations like interesting encounters with children’s authors and illustrators on the International Children’s Book Day. Writing competitions are organised in schools and libraries, book awards are organised too with the sole purpose to inspire and promote a love for reading and bring about awareness and understanding of cultures through books.
|
|
Comments:
