Bookbird: A Flight Through Time

Bookbird: A Flight through Time is a new publication from Bookbird, Inc. and IBBY. Co-edited by Valerie Coghlan and Evelyn B. Freeman, the book traces the history of Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, the official journal of IBBY, since its founding in 1957 by Jella Lepman.  The journal’s history is intertwined with that of the International Youth Library and IBBY, also founded by Jella Lepman.  Through words and images, it tells the story of an important part of children’s literature in an international context over more than sixty years.

The book is organized chronologically into five sections, each with an overview and photo montage.  Each section features a poem by a Hans Christian Andersen recipient in English and the poem’s original language. Twenty-two articles are included with contributors from seven countries.  The book’s magnificent cover was donated by Hans Christian Andersen recipient Igor Oleynikov.  Katherine Paterson wrote the Foreword and IBBY President Mingzhou Zhang shared a Welcome message.
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Roger Mello, Brazilian author/illustrator and Hans Christian Andersen recipient praised the book: “…a fabulous book, fundamental, indispensable! A gift and a right for those who understand that character and books through time are the possibility of creating a new future.”

The book may be purchased online at:  https://bookbird.ibby.org/bookbird-a-flight-through-time