In April 2021, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) was approached to coordinate the Canadian selections for the third edition of The World Through Picture Books. Organized by the Children & Young Adult Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), The World Through Picture Books is an annotated list of picture books from around the world recommended by librarians.
These selections can be used:
As a way of celebrating and promoting the languages, cultures, and quality of children’s books from each country involved.
By countries who wish to select or learn about books from other countries.
By ‘Sister Libraries’ as a way of exploring the quality children’s literature from their Sister library’s country.
Each country was given the opportunity to submit 10 titles from their nation. The CCBC began the work on this project in June 2021, forming a committee of school librarians and public librarians at both the municipal and provincial levels from all across Canada. The group was divided into two subcommittees—with one group selecting the English-language titles and the other, the French-language titles. Members of the committee also surveyed their professional networks for recommendations from their region.
With IFLA’s criteria in mind, our committee also felt it was imperative to make sure that the Canadian selections represented the diversity of our country. Our selections, which can be found below, include titles in English and French—our country’s two official languages—as well as Plains Cree and Anishinaabemowin—highlighting two of the many Indigenous languages spoken in Canada.
English-language selections
Africville, written by Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Eva Campbell (Groundwood Books, 2018)
On the Trapline, written by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Julie Flett (Tundra Books, 2021)
Town Is by the Sea, written by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books, 2017)
When I Found Grandma, written by Saumiya Balasubramaniam, illustrated by Qin Leng (Groundwood Books, 2019)
You Hold Me Up/ê-ohpiniyan, written by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Danielle Daniel, Plains Cree translation by Mary Cardinal Collins (Orca Book Publishers, 2018); You Hold Me Up/Gimanaadenim, written by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Danielle Daniel, Anishinaabemowin translation by Angela Mesic and Margaret Noodin (Orca Book Publishers, 2021)
French-language selections
L’arbragan, written and illustrated by Jacques Goldstyn (Éditions de la Pastèque, 2015)
Ce n’est pas comme ça qu’on joue au hockey !, written by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Félix Girard (Éditions Québec Amérique, 2018)
Le chemin de la montagne, written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc (Éditions Album, 2019)
Mingan, mon village: poèmes d’écoliers innus, illustrated by Rogé (Éditions de la Bagnole, 2012)
Le Grand Antonio, written and illustrated by Elise Gravel (Éditions de la Pastèque, 2014)
By the end of summer 2021, the Canadian selections were submitted to the World Through Picture Books Program Committee. Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed the selection process for many countries, and because of this, IFLA extended the submission deadline in an effort to make the program an inclusive one.On August 22, 2023—almost two-and-a-half years after the process started—the third edition of The World Through Picture Books was officially launched by the Children & Young Adult Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Rotterdam. The catalogue includes 530 books in 37 languages from 57 countries. The final version of the catalogue will be available to download from IFLA’s website. In the meantime, to access the interim catalogue, click here.
Thanks to the publishers who generously donated copies of their books, two exhibition collections have been created; they are currently housed at the National Libraries of France and Japan. They will be available for loan to any libraries that would like to exhibit them.
Thank you to the Canadian committee members for their dedication to the project: Jennifer Brown, Peel District School Board; Heather Brydon, Direction des ressources éducatives françaises, Manitoba Education; Nancy Cooper, Ontario Library Service; Eugenia Doval, Conseil scolaire Viamonde; RayFernandes, Nova Scotia Provincial Library; JamieFong, Vancouver Public Library; FrançoisForest, Centre de services scolaire des Grandes-Seigneuries; RoseanneGauthier, PEI Public Library Service; SophieKurler, Bibliothèques de Montréal; Gigi Nadeau, Riverside School Board; Tamara Opar, Winnipeg Public Library; Colette Poitras, Public Library Services Branch, Government of Alberta; Michelle Valdecantos, Vancouver School Board; and Pierre Van Eeckhout, Centre de services scolaire de l’Or-et-des-Bois.
News from the Canadian Children’s Book Community
The World Through Picture Books, Third Edition
In April 2021, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) was approached to coordinate the Canadian selections for the third edition of The World Through Picture Books. Organized by the Children & Young Adult Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), The World Through Picture Books is an annotated list of picture books from around the world recommended by librarians.
These selections can be used:
Each country was given the opportunity to submit 10 titles from their nation. The CCBC began the work on this project in June 2021, forming a committee of school librarians and public librarians at both the municipal and provincial levels from all across Canada. The group was divided into two subcommittees—with one group selecting the English-language titles and the other, the French-language titles. Members of the committee also surveyed their professional networks for recommendations from their region.
With IFLA’s criteria in mind, our committee also felt it was imperative to make sure that the Canadian selections represented the diversity of our country. Our selections, which can be found below, include titles in English and French—our country’s two official languages—as well as Plains Cree and Anishinaabemowin—highlighting two of the many Indigenous languages spoken in Canada.
English-language selections
Africville, written by Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Eva Campbell (Groundwood Books, 2018)
French-language selections
L’arbragan, written and illustrated by Jacques Goldstyn (Éditions de la Pastèque, 2015)
By the end of summer 2021, the Canadian selections were submitted to the World Through Picture Books Program Committee. Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed the selection process for many countries, and because of this, IFLA extended the submission deadline in an effort to make the program an inclusive one.On August 22, 2023—almost two-and-a-half years after the process started—the third edition of The World Through Picture Books was officially launched by the Children & Young Adult Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Rotterdam. The catalogue includes 530 books in 37 languages from 57 countries. The final version of the catalogue will be available to download from IFLA’s website. In the meantime, to access the interim catalogue, click here.
Thanks to the publishers who generously donated copies of their books, two exhibition collections have been created; they are currently housed at the National Libraries of France and Japan. They will be available for loan to any libraries that would like to exhibit them.
Thank you to the Canadian committee members for their dedication to the project: Jennifer Brown, Peel District School Board; Heather Brydon, Direction des ressources éducatives françaises, Manitoba Education; Nancy Cooper, Ontario Library Service; Eugenia Doval, Conseil scolaire Viamonde; Ray Fernandes, Nova Scotia Provincial Library; Jamie Fong, Vancouver Public Library; François Forest, Centre de services scolaire des Grandes-Seigneuries; Roseanne Gauthier, PEI Public Library Service; Sophie Kurler, Bibliothèques de Montréal; Gigi Nadeau, Riverside School Board; Tamara Opar, Winnipeg Public Library; Colette Poitras, Public Library Services Branch, Government of Alberta; Michelle Valdecantos, Vancouver School Board; and Pierre Van Eeckhout, Centre de services scolaire de l’Or-et-des-Bois.
Contributed by Meghan Howe
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