Today, the SDG Book Club released its first ever reading list of titles aimed at children age 6-12, to teach them about the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in all six official UN languages.
Each month for 17 months – one for each of the 17 SDGs – the SDG Book Club will release a book list. In May, the SDG Book Club will address the issue of Goal 2: Zero Hunger and June Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being. The SDG Book Club will continue until August 2020, ending with Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
On the occasion of International Children’s Book Day (an IBBY initiative), the United Nations, together with leading global organisations representing publishers, libraries, booksellers, authors and books for youth, launched the SDG Book Club with books in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish related to Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty.
An event at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the SDG Book Club, as well as the first reading list were launched by Michiel Kolman, Presidential Envoy for Diversity & Inclusion, International Publishers Association, and Carole Bloch, Executive Director PRAESA, and IBBY Vice President. Other organisations engaged in the SDG Book Club include the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF).
Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, addressed the audience via video message, encouraging them to participate as “true sustainability is only achievable with the support of the young.”
The SDG Book Club provides an opportunity to encourage children to learn about the SDGs and discover new voices and concepts from around the world in all six official UN languages. The recommended books for April and focusing on SDG 1 ‘No Poverty”are:
Arabic:
· Aina da’at, Author: Mohanned Al Akoos
· The Wonder Bag, Author: Omaima Ezadeen
· The Strange Wondrous House, Author: Omama Allawati
Chinese:
· Adventures of Sanmao, Author: Zhang Leping
· The Prince and the Pauper, Author: Mark Twain
· Ah, Xiangxue, Auhtor: Tie Ning
English:
· Serafina’s Promise, Author: Ann E. Burg
· The Last Stop on Market Street, Author: Matt de la Peña
· A Chair for My Mother, Author: Vera B Williams
· The Happy Prince, Author: Oscar Wilde, Illustrator: Maisie Paradise Shearring
French:
· Jouer Aux Fantômes, Author: Didier Levy, Illustrator : Sonja Bougaeva
· L’usine, Author: Yael Hassan
· La Pauvreté et la Faim, Author: Louise Spilsbury, Illustrator : Hanane Kai
· Ma Robe Couleur de Fruits, Author: Myriam Gallot, Illustrator : Julia Wauters
Russian :
· The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, Author: Alexander Pushkin
· Vanka, Author: Anton Chekhov
· The Cat’s House, Author: Samuil Marshak
Spanish :
· A la Sombra de los Anacardos, Author: Antón Fortes Torres, illustrator: Simona Mulazzani
· De Noche en la Calle, Author: Ángela Lago
· No Comas Renacuajos, Author: Francisco Montaña Ibáñez
· Un Punado de Semillas, Author: Mónica Hughes, Illustrator Luis Garay
The SDG Book Club aims to engage young people everywhere, fostering a love of reading and sharing ideas with friends and parents alike. By encouraging the support of the young, the SDG Book Club promises to make a strong contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in general, and specifically targets Goals dealing with literacy and education.
Those interested in joining the SDG Book Club are invited to sign-up here:
Media Inquiries: Sherri Aldis, aldis@un.org
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