27 times Europe in children's stories
Let's meet the children of Europe
is an initiative of tuttibooks and IBBY section the Netherlands.
The Dutch IBBY section is part of the International Board on Books for Young People Foundation. IBBY is a non-profit organization which represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together.
See www.ibby.org and http://duijx.net/ibby.
Background
In January 2007 the European Union added its 26th and 27th country. The economic co-operation between the member states is flourishing and countries, just as their companies, benefit. But many people are worried by more European integration. One of the causes can be a lack of mutual understanding and knowledge about motives and cultural backgrounds of our fellow Europeans.
The children of the EU however have in the future the task to keep on developing this European ideal and unity.
Book and website
To encourage understanding, a book will give children insight into the lives of their contemporaries in all the 27 member states of the EU; it will broaden their perception and form a basis for more understanding. With knowledge and empathy, the children are better prepared for future co-operation.
The stories for this book will be written by the best youth authors of each member state accompanied by the images created by the best illustrators. Or as the young successful writer Jonathan Safran Foer put it: ’To describe the apparent unimportant life of an individual, that is the most powerful writing – and also the most politic writing. In that way literature shapes a sympathy that never could be reached by politics.’
A website will accompany the book(making) and will give the young readers background information on the authors, illustrators and all the countries of the European Union. On the website schoolteachers from every member state will find in their language interesting material for lessons and for school projects.
We need
Before this special and unique book can be published we need...
- a youth author of every member state. He or she will be asked to write a story that takes place in his or her country; to sketch a picture of the life of children in his or her homeland: 27 authors;
- an illustrator of every member state. He or she will be asked to add illustrations to this story for extra impact: 27 illustrators;
- a publisher in every member state. The publisher with experience in youth literature selects the right author and illustrator for this task and will publish the book in his country: 27 publishers;
- translators, who will translate the book in the 23 official languages of the EU: a lot of translators;
The result will be 27 versions of the same book, published in 27 countries.
Participants in this project, apart from IBBY the Netherlands and tuttibooks, are at this moment:
- 19 very enthusiastic publishers, see members;
- a production and design company, see members;
- an ICT company, see members;
We are looking for enthusiastic publishers who want to be part of this first European book project in:
Romania, Poland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany and Spain.
© illustration: Annemarie van Haeringen for IBBY Nederland