International Children's Book Day 2023: Date, History, Significance, Advantages, Celebration

International Children’s Book Day 2023 will be celebrated on April 2, 2023. We also celebrate this day as birth anniversary of a Danish novelist and writer Hans Christian Andersen. Narrative programs and writer recitation programs are common on this day at several libraries and bookshops.

This global event seeks to encourage literacy and motivate youngsters to peruse to and with each other as well as adults. Educators mark this day every year to emphasize the value of literacy to students and their families.

International Children’s Book Day History

It’s been International Children’s Book Day every year since 1967, when it’s held on or about Hans Christian Andersen’s birth date, April 2nd, to encourage readers to learn and to bring awareness to children’s literature. The chance to serve as the worldwide partner of ICBD is given to a separate National Division of IBBY annually. Welcomes a well-known writer and artist from the hosting country to compose a statement for the world’s children and produce a poster for the event.

To encourage books and learning, these resources are utilized in various ways. Promoting ICBD in schools and libraries is an important goal for many IBBY sections. An ICBD commemoration could include authors and artwork meetings, writing contest presentations, or book prize updates, all of which may be associated with ICBD.

About Hans Andersen

The Emperor’s New Clothes, Little Mermaid, and Thumbelina are among the many folk tales written by Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish novelist. When it comes to Andersen’s works including both adults and kids, it is his myths and legends that remain to receive the greatest attention over 150 years after his death. He was birthed in Odense, Denmark, on April 2, 1805. He was 70 when he passed away on August 4th, 1875. He was born in 1818 to a new mother, Anne Marie, after the death of his father, Hans, in 1816.

Released in 1822, The Ghost at Palnatoke Grave was among Andersen’s stories. Around 1835 and 1837, he released his first collection of fictional stories. Thumbelina’s Flowers, The Little Mermaid, Tiny Claus and Big Claus, The Travelling Companion, Thumbelina’s Naughty Boy, and the Emperor’s New Clothes were among the nine fairytales in the book. Almost all of his fairy stories had a bad finale. In addition to their many translations, they have been adapted into a slew of films, TV series, waltzes, and stage productions.

Advantages of Reading

If you want to reap the advantages of reading, participate in International Children’s Book Day every year. There are a few of them:

A child’s vocabulary may expand as a result of frequent reading, since it stimulates and develops the intellect to adequately form neural pathways.
It is important to remember that reading is a great opportunity for youngsters to expand their horizons and connect with the world around them in innovative ways.
A child’s spirit and attitude will improve as a result of participating in this event.

International Children’s Book Day Celebration

International Children’s Book Day is celebrated throughout the world with special activities and book readings, but in truth, everything you get is a great old-fashioned tale to mark the occasion. Telling folklore from various regions and cultures is a fascinating way to explore cultural diversity. You may plan storytelling events based on books for children that are well-loved. Perhaps there is a group favorite that you’d even reenact for the class.

Studying and creative arts programmes might also be offered to older youngsters. In commemoration of Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, why not discuss his works, choose a favorite, and then read it aloud? Many libraries participate in Children’s Book Day by accepting book contributions from the public. A book discussion is an excellent chance to teach your children about education and reading.

Significance during Covid-19

About 50% the globe’s kids have been told to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic, which gives them a chance to read more books. Data from a survey of more than 17,000 individuals in the United Kingdom show a correlation between reading more regularly at the age of 10 and much more than one every week at the age of 16.

The positive effects of literacy on cognitive education are undeniable, enhancing their imaginations, improving their memory, and enhancing their critical thinking abilities. “The dead speak with us via books. As opposed to being a one-time occurrence, learning has become a prolonged process rather than a one-time event because of the way humanity has evolved on itself, progressed, and made this possible, as well-known author Neil Gaiman. Regardless of the current spread of the coronavirus, reading novels may provide a sense of calm.

Over 50 humanitarian organizations have collaborated to invent a single plotline book to help kids learn and find a way to deal with COVID-19. Children can defeat COVID-19 because of the book “My Hero Is You.” Young kids are trained how to preserve oneself, their communities, and their acquaintances from Coronavirus and also how to handle tough moods in a quickly changing world via the character in a book “Ario”.

The book was written particularly for youngsters between the ages of six and eleven. United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organization groups, and aid organizations are all involved in this unique alliance that provides mental health and psychological assistance in crisis situations.

The COVID-19 outbreak affected over 1700 children, families, caretakers, and instructors from all across the globe during the program’s first phases. To ensure that the narrative and its themes connected with youngsters from many origins and regions, screenplay writer and artist Helen Patuck and the production team relied heavily on the feedback from the audience.