For two weeks in Spain, la Semana del Álbum literary festival is highlighting the importance of picture books.

Now in its third year, the event is currently underway, taking place in 5 major cities across Spain. Last week Barcelona and Seville were the hosts while this week sees the festival move to Almeria, Madrid and Malaga. This year’s theme is “Libros que abren mundos” – Books that open worlds.

The aim of the festival, and indeed the ¡Álbum! initiative as a whole, is to increase the visibility and relevance of picture books. Events include storytelling, meet-and-greet sessions with authors and illustrators, exhibitions, panel sessions and workshops for old and young alike, all taking place in book shops, libraries and schools. As well as sessions for the public, there is also a Forum running events for professional from the world of education and publishing.

La Semana del Álbum 2018 involved:

• 46 libraries
• 83 book shops
• 150 illustrators, authors and workshop leaders
• 350+ activities
• 3000+ people

The ¡Álbum! initiative is made up of 23 independent publishers who are working to raise the profile of picture books in collaboration with schools, libraries and book sellers. Together they have put together a manifesto – 11 reasons for picture books – pointing to the importance of picture books for decoding the world around us, bringing families and friends together and awakening our imaginations.

 

Photographs courtesy of ¡Álbum!