UNESCO has declared that — from this year on — there should be a worldwide celebration of “professional translation, as a trade and an art, [as it] plays an important role in upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security”:
The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature (NCACL) is taking up this challenge by bringing in a major #WorldKidLit exhibition from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). The emphasis of this exhibit and accompanying “Sharing Stories” project, according to Director Dr Belle Alderman, is “sharing the universality of stories and translations in bringing children and cultures together around the world.”
Many of the NCACL’s upcoming exhibitions feature widely-translated authors and illustrators.
According to Alderman, the NCACL holds “42,000 Australian children’s books, of which 4,100 are in 59 different languages, so we decided to celebrate these.”
The “Sharing Stories” exhibit and events are set to celebrate cultural diversity, translations, and the role of children’s literature as ‘widows and mirrors,’ as well as celebrating the “often hidden process behind the creation of children’s books that are rarely seen by the public.”
The IBBY exhibit is made up of a collection of 191 children’s books in translation from 70 countires around the world. It will be on exhibit at Woden Public Library Canberra from from September 28 through October 20, accompanied by Australia’s own IBBY winners.
The two collections “celebrate the world’s best children’s literature, representing each country’s culture and sharing it with Australia’s culturally diverse population,” and the NCACL hopes the exhibition will be able to travel around Australia before it returns to Basel, if funding permits.
Below are a few “Sharing Stories” events set to place across Canberra this fall:
- Ursula Dubosarsky speaks at the Preview of the Exhibition of IBBY Honour Books, Sunday 7 October at 2.00pm, Woden Public Library
- Jackie French AM opens the Sharing Stories Exhibition of IBBY Honour Books, Monday 8 October 2018 from 5.30pm-7.30pm, Woden Public Library; official welcome by ACT Govt Minister of Multiculturalism, Chris Steel
- Emeritus Professor Belle Alderman AM talks on Mirrors and Windows: Cultural Diversity in Australian Picture Books, Sunday 14 October 2018 from 2.00pm-3.00pm, Woden Public Library
- Rowan Simpkin presents Hop Up! Wriggle Over! And enjoy … for families and their children ages 4-8 years featuring Noni the Pony, That’s Not a Daffodil!, Let’s Get a Pup! and other Australian favourites, Saturday 20 October from 11.30am-12.30pm, Woden Public Library
- Woden Library features three mini-exhibitions created by NCACL revealing original artworks and the creative process behind Alison Lester’s Noni the Pony and Noni Goes to the Beach, Bob Graham’s Let’s get a pup! and Margaret Wild/Wayne Harris Going Home
- Mini-exhibitions of NCACL artworks and the creative process of favourite children’s books Max by Bob Graham, Sandswimmers by Narelle Oliver, Deltoral Quest series by Emily Rodda will feature at Tuggeranong Library and Dickson Library, during the month of October
- All public libraries in the ACT will feature books chosen as IBBY Australia Honour Books, representing outstanding Australian children’s books characteristic of the country, during the month of October
- A symposium featuring Libby Gleeson (author), Freya Blackwood (author & illustrator), Linsay Knight (publisher, Walker Books Australia, and Matthew Callahan from Translation Studies at the Australian National University who has published literary translations. Held 11 Oct 5.30-7.30pm at the University of Canberra, Inspire Centre. Admission cost
- Dickson and Tuggeranong public libraries will feature exhibitions from the NCACL’s collection which feature the creative process behind Australian children’s books, during the month of October
- Libraries ACT will have its own programming at each library featuring cultural diversity as well as programs created by the Bilingual Alliance and the NCACL, during the month of October
- NCACL presents an exhibition featuring the creative writing process on Friday 19 October and Saturday 20 October for the Primary English Teachers Association (PETAA) Conference at the Ann Harding Conference Centre, University of Canberra, featuring the creative work of Graeme Base, Jackie French & Nina Rycroft, Peter Gouldthorpe, Elizabeth Honey and Libby Hathorn, Gregory Rogers and Bob Graham – exhibited work will be open to the public from 22 Oct-20 Nov 8.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri
World Kid Lit 
[…] 24 Sept Sharing Stories: National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature […]
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