IBBY's Books To My Neighbour Project
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
IBBY‘s January Newsletter highlights an exciting project
to enhance friendship between Turkish & Greek children through picture books.
The project ran from March 2007 to June 2008 and worked with 7-8 year olds in both countries. The children explored each other’s cultures through picture books and exchanged letters, photographs and gifts. One of the books they used was the the trilingual (Greek, Turkish and English) A Bridge of Sea by Greek poet Lia Karavia and Turkish writer and illustrator Serpil Ural:
With its message of understanding between people of different backgrounds, the book aims at promoting peace and friendship between Turks and Greeks.
Together, the Greek and Turkish IBBY Sections
proved that children’s books can be used as a tool for better understanding of the other, thus easing the way for peace in the area.
Once again, we see the potential of children’s books to change the world:
a bridge of books can be built among neighbouring countries. Such bridges can go all around the world creating passages to friendship and peace.
