In Katherine Paterson’s foreword to this lovely volume, she provides a brief history of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and its founder, Jella Lepman, who hoped that “by nourishing children with the best of books from around the world, they would make friends with children who lived in very different cultures, but who also, like them, longed to grow up in a world of peace.” In undertaking this compilation of illustrations from international artists, the proceeds of which will benefit IBBY, editor Patricia Aldana sought to compile work that “represents all the different circumstances of illustration from around the world.” The result is a volume featuring 32 paintings from artists in many nations, only a handful of who are well known here in the United States (e.g., Trina Schart Hyman, Peter Sís, Rosemary Wells, Vera B. Williams). Many are IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award winners or nominees from around the world. Others are virtual unknowns even in their own nation. The artists were invited to illustrate a text of their own choosing. Many of the texts originate in languages other than English, and this multilingual book offers each poem, verse, or story excerpt in its original language and an English translation. Wide ranging in style and subject, the artwork is sometimes soothing, sometimes striking, and always intriguing. (Age 5 and older)

The illustrated picture book is one of the most important genres of childrenÕs literature. Great artists have devoted some or all of their working lives to creating art that accompanies a text written for children. While book illustration has been practiced for thousands of years, picture book illustration is a relatively new phenomena.

IBBY (the International Board on Books for Children), at the heart of whose mandate lies the promotion of books of the highest quality, has been honoring illustrators through the Hans Christian Andersen Awards for nearly forty years. IBBY has also been helping to support the spread of book illustration for children to countries and cultures where such artistic activity is relatively new. In honor of IBBYÕs work and to support its future work, many of the worldÕs greatest illustrators for children have donated art based on a text of their choice drawn from their childhood and culture. The result is a book that celebrates art created for children from around the world. The texts in the book are in both the original language and in English. Noted author and editor Stan Dragland has translated the texts.Groundwood Books will pay a royalty of 15% of all sales to IBBY.