During our time at the recent Bologna Children’s Book Fair Marjorie and I had a lovely visit with Gita Wolf and Maegan Chadwick-Dobson from Tara Books.  Tara Books is an award winning,  independent publisher of picture books for adults and children based in Chennai, South India. Founded by Gita in 1994, Tara Books consists of a dedicated group of writers, designers and artists who remain “fiercely independent” and who strive to publish books with the unique union of fine form and rich content. Tara Books sets itself apart from other publishers by truly offering readers a literary and visual feast and they are especially known for their children’s books created by tribal artists in the Gond, Patua and Mithila styles which are made entirely from hand  – from the paper to the printing and binding! Their book Waterlife by Rambharos Jha won the 2012 New Horizons Mention, BolognaRagazzi Awards and is PaperTigers’ Book of the Month.

Besides hearing about the latest Tara Book releases, Marjorie and I also learned more about their exciting new Book Building which just opened off Kuppam Beach Road in Thiruvanmiyur, South Chennai, India. After years of operating out of small rental places and not being able to adequately showcase their books, Tara Books embarked on an ambitious plan to construct a three storey, environmentally friendly building (80% solar powered) that would house all aspects of their business and would become an unique cultural space dedicated to exploring the form of the book.  In February 2012 Book Building opened its doors to much acclaim and fanfare! Book lovers and visual lovers of all ages are invited to come enjoy ongoing exhibitions, watch visual artists at work, participate in workshops, browse though books and art prints in the  bookstore, enjoy specially commissioned wall murals created by a range of Tara Book artists, and more!  Permanent exhibition highlights include Bhajju’s Mural, an original mural by Gond artist Bhajju Shyam (see PaperTigers’ gallery of his work here) on display in the outdoor gallery (images of the mural being painted can be seen here) and The Patua Pillar by Patua artists Manu and Swarna (images of the mural being painted can be seen here).

Book Building is open Monday to Saturday from 10am – 7:30pm and admission is free. To hear about upcoming activities including the launch of an exciting new annual Carnival of Books Festival and the inauguration of the children’s reading corner, visit Tara Books’ website or email your full contact details to mail(at)tarabooks(dot)com.

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Freedom to Read Week~ ongoing until Mar 3, Canada

Pratham Book Events at World Book Fair~ ongoing until Mar 4, New Delhi, India

Growing up Asian in America Contest~ submissions accepted until Mar 12, San Francisco, CA, USA

MA Children’s Book Illustration Exhibit~ ongoing until Mar 15, Cambridge, United Kingdom

New Zealand International Arts and Writers Festival~ ongoing until Mar 18, Wellington, New Zealand

Sun Gallery’s Twenty-third Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 7, Hayward, CA, USA

Ilustarte: 5th International Biennial Exhibition of Children’s Books Illustration ~ ongoing until Apr 8, Lisbon, Portugal

The Writer’s Union of Canada’s Annual Writing for Children Competition~ submissions accepted until Apr 24, Canada

Picture This: 90 Years of Storybook Art~ ongoing until May 6, Wenham, MA, USA

Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award 2013~ submissions accepted until Dec 31, 2012, United Kingdom

World Book Day~ Mar 1, United Kingdom and Ireland

Read Across America Day ~ Mar 2, USA

6th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 2 -3, Redlands, CA, USA

Shanghai International Literary Festival~ Mar 2 – 18, Shanghai, China

Draw Me a Story: A Celebration of Contemporary New England Children’s Book Illustrators~ Mar 2 – 18, Wenham, MA, USA

Words Go Round Literary Open House: Dedicated to Young Writers and Readers~ Mar 3, Singapore

Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices Day and Presentation of the Charlotte Zolotow Award~ Mar 3, Madison, WI, USA

YALSA’s Teen Tech Week~ Mar 4 – 10, USA

Share a Story – Shape a Future, A Blog Tour for Literacy: The Culture of Reading~ Mar 5 – 9

A Picture Book Celebration for Writers and Writer/Illustrators~ Mar 6, Toronto, ON, Canada

Rhinelander Children’s Book Fest~ Mar 6 – 7, Rhinelander, WI, USA

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature~ Mar 6 – 10, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

World Read Aloud Day: Take Action for Global Literacy, Celebrate the Power of Words, Change the World~ Mar 7

37th Annual CABE Conference: A Legacy of Promoting Equity and Access through Multilingualism and Multiculturalism: Mar 7 – 10, Sacramento, CA, USA

Tomo Anthology Launch: Evening of Readings, Discussion and Reflection~ Mar 10, Tokyo, Japan

Children’s Books Week~ Mar 10 – 17, Belgium

The Poetry Society’s Foyle Young Poets 2011 Competition Launch~ Mar 12, United Kingdom

School Library Journal’s Battle of the Kids’ Books~ Mar 13 – Apr 2, USA

Somerset Celebration of Literature~ Mar 14 – 16, Mudgeeraba, Australia

Chapter & Verse’s (A Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit) Meeting~ Mar 15, USA

Leipzig Book Fair~ Mar 15 – 18, Leipzig, Germany

Children’s Literature Conference: The Right Book for the Right Reader~ Mar 16, DeKalb, IL, USA

Celebration of Teaching and Learning~ Mar 16 – 17, New York, NY, USA

Salon du livre de Paris, Guest of Honour: Japan and Moscow~ Mar 16 – 19, Porte de Versailles, France

44th Annual  Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 18 – 20, Warrensburg, MO, USA

Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Guest of Honour: Australia~ Mar 19 – 22, Bologna,Italy

World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winners Announced~ Mar 20, Vimmerby, Sweden

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination~ Mar 21

World Poetry Day (UNESCO)~ Mar 21

Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia

Children’s Book Festival~ Mar 22 – 25, Melbourne, Australia

43rd Annual Georgia Children’s Book Awards and Conference on Children’s Literature~ Mar 23 – 24, Athens, GA, USA

The Norman Lindsay Festival of Children’s Literature~ Mar 25, Faulconbridge, Australia

National Latino Children’s Literature Conference: Connecting Cultures and Celebrating Cuentos~ Mar 29 – 30, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

Bangkok International Book Fair~ Mar 29 – Apr 8, Bangkok, Thailand

Storylines’ Margaret Mahy Day~ Mar 31, Auckland, New Zealand

Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre Exhibits and Programs~ Fremantle, Australia

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibits~ Riddells Creek, Australia

Books Illustrated Events and Exhibitions~ Middle Park, Australia

International Library of Children’s Literature Events~ Tokyo, Japan

International Youth Library Exhibits~ Munich, Germany

Newcastle University Programme of Talks on Children’s Books for 2011-2012~ Newcastle, United Kingdom

Seven Stories (the National Home of Children’s Books in Britain) Events~ Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Discover Children’s Story Centre~ London, United Kingdom

Events Sponsored by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress~ USA

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art~ Amherst, MA, USA

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibits~ Abilene, TX, USA

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Events

Oakland University will exhibit a collection of rare books featuring a variety of illustrative styles and tactile reading experiences for readers with disabilities. Some books are presented in Braille with embossed pictures, others are made of cloth and still others have attached pieces intended for readers to handle.On loan from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities collection will debut at an open house from 4-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10,in OU’s Educational Resource Lab. The lab is located in Pawley Hall on the campus of Oakland University.The books in the collection – which feature special needs topics, characters and designs – promote understanding and knowledge, as well as foment ideas for the publication and promotion of new books in the field.Linda M. Pavonetti, chair of OU’s Department of Reading and Language Arts and vice president of IBBY, said she is pleased to have OU included among a number of international locations the collection is sent to each year.”Many of OU’s students have had limited exposure to international books. Because of that, there is a perception that the U.S. has cornered the market for children’s publishing,” she explained. “This exhibit may be the first step in understanding that we all need to help children learn – no matter the situation or difficulties. One of the best ways of doing this is through high quality books for all children in their native languages.”

The award-winning books in the exhibit were selected from more than 130 nominees submitted by IBBY National Sections and friends of the Haug School in Oslo, Norway, where the collection of more than 3,500 books is housed. They come from nations across the globe, including Japan, Finland, France, Spain, England, Australia, United States, South Africa, Italy, Quebec, Mexico, China, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Korea, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Iran.

“The importance of this type of collection is clear to anyone who has ever tried to find reading material for children who are visually impaired,” Pavonetti said. “Books printed in Braille, BLISS or other tactile languages are rare and expensive. They are generally not available in libraries or bookstores. Parents and teachers of hearing-impaired students also understand the need for books that mirror other children who deal with the same problems their children face on a daily basis.”

For more information on the exhibit click here.

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Black History Month~ Canada

African American History Month~ USA

National African American Read-in~  USA

The Katha Chitrakala Award (Excellence in Children’s Book Illustrations) Winners Announced~ India

The Golden Age of the Picture Book: 1920s & 1930s – History’s Message to Children~ ongoing until Feb 6, Tokyo, Japan

The 11th Annual National Storytelling Week~ ongoing until Feb 5, United Kingdom

Kolkata Book Fair~ ongoing until Feb 6, Kolkata, India

Tales in the Garden Festival~ ongoing until Feb 12, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand

Mirror, an Exhibition by Children’s Author and Artist Jeannie Baker~ ongoing until Feb 13, Australia

2011 Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award~ submissions accepted until Feb 25, United Kingdom

International Youth Library Exhibit: The Fabulous World of John Kilaka, Pictures and Drawings by a Tanzanian Artist~ ongoing until Feb 28, Munich, Germany

Entries Accepted for The Growing up Asian in America Contest~ ongoing until Mar 10, San Francisco, CA, USA

2011 PBBY-Alcala Prize~ submissions accepted until Mar 30, Philippines

International Youth Library Presents Walls: A Book and an Exhibition~ ongoing until Apr 5, Munich, Germany

International Youth Library Exhibit: Manga From Japan~ ongoing until Apr 5, Munich, Germany

Making Books Sing Presents a One-Woman Play Based on The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos by Lucía Gonzalez~ ongoing until spring, New York, NY, USA

Partners in Wonder: Selections from the Collection of Jane Yolen~ ongoing until May 1, Amherst, MA, USA

Look! The Art of Australian Picture Books Today~ ongoing until May 29, Melbourne, Australia

The Art Institute of Chicago Exhibit: Real and Imaginary: Three Latin American Artists – Raúl Colón, David Diaz and Yuyi Morales~ ongoing until May 29, Chicago, IL, USA

Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney~ ongoing until May 30, Stockbridge, MA, USA

Animal Fair: Birds, Beasts, and Bugs in Children’s Book Illustrations~ ongoing until Jun 5, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

Seven Stories Exhibit: There’s Nuffin Like a Puffin!~ ongoing until Jun 27, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

International Youth Library Exhibit: The World in Miniature. The Family in Historic Picture Books and Children’s Literature~ ongoing until Aug 31, Munich, Germany

World Congress of Asian Studies~ Feb 2 – 6, Kolkata, India

Children’s Literature Symposium: Critical Perspectives on Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Images and Illustrations in Children’s and Young Adult Literature~ Feb 5, Sarasota, FL, USA

2011 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour~ Feb 6 – 11

36th Congress of the Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association (AULLA): Storytelling in Literature, Language, and Culture ~ Feb 7 – 9, Auckland, New Zealand

Translated! An Interactive Festival of Literary Translation~ Feb 7 – 12, Melbourne, Australia

iConference 2011~ Feb 8 – 11, Seattle, WA, USA

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Exhibit: What a Circus! The Art of Etienne Delessert~ Feb 8 – Jun 5, Amherst, MA, USA

Nordic Children’s Literature Conference~ Feb 9 – 11, Norway

Taipei Book Fair~ Feb 9 – 14, Taipei, Taiwan

Sun Gallery’s Twenty-second Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit~ Feb 9 – Apr 16, Hayward, CA, USA

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Anita Lobel – All the World’s a Stage~ Feb 10 – May 28, Abilene, TX, USA

Book Launch: Out of the Way! Out of the Way! by Uma Krishnaswami, pictures Uma Krishnaswamy~ Feb 11, Chennai, India

Rhizomes VI – Other Words, Other Worlds: Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in a Globalizing Era~ Feb 11 – 12, Brisbane, Australia

Imagine Children’s Festival~ Feb 12 – 27, London, United Kingdom

2010 Cybils (the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) Winners Announced~ Feb 14

First Nations Public Library Week~ Feb 14 – 19, Province of Ontario, Canada

LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival: Crossing Borders~ Feb 16 – 19, London, United Kingdom

12th International Vilnius Book Fair: Literature Without Frontiers~ Feb 17 – 20, Vilnius, Lithuania

All In! Young Writers Seminar~ Feb 19, Singapore

25th Jerusalem Book Fair~ Feb 20 – 25, Jerusalem, Israel

Freedom to Read Week~ Feb 20 – 26, Canada

2010-2011 Mathieu Da Costa Challenge Winners Announced~ Feb 22, Canada

Challenging Books: Who Should Decide What Our Children Read?~ Feb 23, Toronto, ON, Canada

The International Society for the Social Studies Annual Conference~ Feb 24 – 25, Orlando, FL, USA

The Arabian Reading Assocation’s (TARA) Conference~ Feb 24 – 26, Manama, Bahrain

International Conference for Writers and Translators (IBBY Flanders, IBBY Netherlands, Friedrich Bödecker Kreis Germany)~ Feb 24 – 26, Antwerp, Belgium

SCBWI’s Annual Golden Gate Conference At Asilomar~ Feb 25 – 27, Pacific Grove, CA, USA

Bath Lit Fest~ Feb 25 – Mar 6, Bath, United Kingdom

The Graphic Novel Today, a Special Children’s Literature Network Presentation for Librarians and Educators and Bookology~ Feb 26, Plymouth, MA, USA

Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable Presents: Serendipity – a Graphic Novel Extravaganza~ Feb 26, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature Presents: Children’s Literature, Classics, and the City~ Feb 26, Dublin, Ireland

19th Annual Hubbs Children’s Literature Conference~ Feb 27, Saint Paul, MN, USA

Last year I joined Rutgers’ (the State University of New Jersery, USA) Child_Lit service. This is a free, unmoderated discussion group convened for the express purpose of examining the theory and criticism of literature for children and young adults. For anyone interested in any aspect of children’s literature, I highly recommend signing up. The service provides a wealth of information and also makes my job a bit easier when looking for events that can be added to our Eventful World calendar.

Last week there was a post on Child_Lit that talked about  Drawing from a Story: Illustrations by Selected Caldecott Medal Winners, an exhibit taking place though May 23rd at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA, USA.

Myths, fables, fairy tales, and folk tales are usually a child’s first steps into the world of literature, and the illustrations that often accompany the text when such stories are published for children stir the imagination and provide entrée to magical worlds. First awarded in 1938, the Caldecott Medal is considered the most prestigious award for children’s illustration. This exhibition will feature the works of selected Caldecott winners from seven decades, including Maurice Sendak, Dorothy Lathrop, David Wiesner [see image at right], Paul O. Zelinsky, Leo and Diane Dillon, Robert McCloskey, and 2010 medal winner, Jerry Pinkney, among many others.

Deidre Johnson responded on Child_Lit with the following comments which she has also allowed us to share with our readers :

I’ve seen it twice and can’t praise it enough. There’s material from most of the major archival collections, such as the Kerlan and deGrummond, as well as a generous sampling from the illustrators’ private collections.

The display is arranged beautifully — sometimes thematically (fairy tales grouped together, for example), sometimes by medium. There’s even an entire corner devoted to art from David Wiesner’s three winners. The exhibit includes not only art from the first Caldecott (and one of Caldecott’s own sketches for John Gilpin’s Ride!) but also from the two most recent winners. Some of the other materials show process (the McCloskey studies for Make Way for Ducklings seen in Marcus’s Caldecott Celebration are on display, and there are also studies for Rohmann’s My Friend Rabbit).

The Brandywine has hosted some fine exhibits associated with children’s literature in the past, but I think this is one of the best.

The National Museum of Taiwan Literature’s recently renovated Children’s Literature Reading Room is now reopened. To honor the occasion a new exhibit has been launched: Lin Hai-yin’s Stories from Childhood. Children and their parents are invited to come join in a variety of activities that celebrate Lin Hai-yin’s works and encourage interest in reading. Lin Hai-yin was a well-known Taiwanese writer of Chinese ethnicity who published some 18 books, including novels, short story collections, radio drama and children’s literature.

(Click on event name for more information)

2009 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ ongoing until Dec 6, Ishikawa, Japan

Guadalajara International Book Fair~ ongoing until Dec 6, Guadalajara, Mexico

Jewish Book Month~ ongoing until Dec 12, Canada and USA

When Cinderella Went to the Ball: Five Hundred Years of Fairy Tales~ ongoing until Dec 12, Toronto, ON, Canada

CJ Picture Book Festival~ ongoing until Dec 24, Seoul, Korea

Summer Reading Club: Read on the Wild Side~ ongoing until Jan 31, 2010, Australia

Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books Featuring Artwork from Iconic Children’s Books~ ongoing until Feb 28, 2010, Amherst, MA, USA

Mother Goose in an Air-Ship: McLoughlin Bros. 19th Century Children’s Books from the Liman Collection~ ongoing until Apr 18, 2010, Amherst, MA, USA

Heart and Soul: Art from Coretta Scott King Award Books, 2006–2009~ ongoing until Apr 18, 2010, Chicago, IL, USA

From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Mog and Pink Rabbit; A Judith Kerr Retrospective~ ongoing until May 2010, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Grace Lin, Author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Appears on NBC’s TODAY Show~ Dec 4

Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature~ Dec 4 – Jan 3, 2010, Concord, MA, USA

International Antiquarian Book Fair~ Dec 4 – 6 Hong Kong

The Children’s Literature Centre at Frostburg State University Presents Storybook Holiday~ Dec 5, Frostburg, MD, USA

Irish Children’s Literature and Culture Symposium~ Dec 5, Dublin, Ireland

The Making of the Word Witch: The Poetic & Illustrative Magic of Margaret Mahy & David Elliot~ Dec 5 – Mar 14, 2010, Ashburton, New Zealand

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book: An Afternoon with Anita Silvey~ Dec 5, New York City, NY, USA

Who Will Speak for the Child? Human Rights at Home and the Convention on the Rights of the Child~ Dec 7, New York City, NY, USA

BookFest@Singapore~ Dec 11 – 20, Singapore

The Best of the Best in 2009: Distinguished American Picture Books for Children~ Dec 12, Amherst, MA, USA

2009 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ Dec 13 – Mar 1, 2010, Seoul, Korea