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A collection of children’s books on COVID-19 has been translated into several languages and made available to be read online.
The sudden outbreak and rapid development of the COVID-19 epidemic has led to enormous upheavals in everyone's lives. Especially in those of the little ones, who found themselves deprived of their own small but significant habits, such as school hours or afternoon breaks with friends.
Chinese illustrators, authors and children’s publishing houses immediately took action, with the aim of telling the controversial moment through words and images, and doing so, informing and entertaining children.
These are the foundations on which the Picture Books about COVID-19 for Children Around the World project and the non-profit platform Life Tree Books were built. Both initiatives were conceived and promoted by Mingzhou Zhang, President of IBBY - International Board on Books for Young People.
Thanks to the contribution of a jury of experts, 11 Chinese children’s books have already been identified and translated into Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Japanese, Korean and Thai.
The Life Tree Books platform collects all titles in digital format and they can be read online in different languages. Have a look here!
Translations into many other languages are already on their way, thanks to the voluntary work of several translators. Many other books will gradually populate the project thanks to the work of Chinese publishers and donations from the Chinese Publishers Association’s Children’s Books Committee, the CRS Committee and CBBY, the IBBY Chinese section.
The icing on the cake are the wonderful poster and logo designed by Roger Mello, Brazilian illustrator winner of the H. C. Andersen Award in 2014.
We hope that these newly published books will bring consolation to children all over the world at such a time of crisis, arming them with science-based knowledge in the fight against the virus. They will also help cultivate children’s interest in reading, turning them into lifelong readers and learners. Finally, we hope that they can also serve as a bridge for promotion of international understanding and friendship.
