“If one is to believe in peaceful coexistence, the first messengers of that peace will be in children’s books.”  

Jella Lepman, founder of IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People

On Tuesday, April 12, students from LE through MS celebrated International Children’s Book Day by taking a literary trip around the world. International Children’s Book Day is an annual event sponsored by IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People. Students had the opportunity to explore books which originated in other countries, then found their way to the U.S. market. Students encountered books of fiction and nonfiction, in a number of formats — such as graphic novels, novels in verse, wordless picture books, early readers, anthologies, and so on — and a variety of genres, including survival stories, fantasy, reference, refugee and migration stories, realistic fiction, social-emotional learning, humor, the arts, STEM, and more.

Want to get a taste for what the students got to discover? The U.S. youth publishing industry annually imports, publishes, and distributes about 600 books from around the world aimed at readers from birth-young adult. Among other national and international activities each year, USBBY, the U.S. chapter of IBBY, puts together its Outstanding International Books list of the top 40 of these imported titles, (as decided by committee.) Follow this link to see the 2022 OIB list, as well as the OIB lists, descriptions, and corresponding School Library Journal articles dating back to 2006. 

Want to check out or purchase any of these books? Fortunately, the Minuteman Library System carries many of these titles, and of course you can also buy them through your favorite independent bookstore or online shop.

To learn more about USBBY/IBBY activities or to inquire about membership and involvement opportunities, please feel free to reach out to Riverbend parent, USBBY newsletter editor, Massachusetts State Ambassador, and former OIB Committee member and Chair, Bindy Fleischman.

Riverbend administration would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Bindy Fleischman for organizing such a wonderful event for our community!