Silent Books for children of all languages

“What could be better for a child on the way to starting a new life in a strange country…[than] a library full of the best-illustrated wordless picture books from around the world?”

So says Ahmad Redza Kairudden, the president of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the organization that has launched a travelling wordless book exhibit that has been to three other major cities in Canada, has opened at the Halifax Central Library on Christmas Eve, and is set to be celebrated January 9 at 10:30 a.m. in the library’s Lindsay Children’s Room.

Bringing it back to basics

The purpose of the wordless book exhibit is simple yet profound: use wordless books to help form connections and celebrate diversity with children and families living in any part of the world. It is believed that with the power of storytelling and the universal language of images, a common understanding of the world can be reached together and independently. As the books are all wordless, and the illustration quality is beautiful, they are apt to prompt questions from children about worlds that are not their own.

23 countries represented

The picture books come from 23 countries, including Belgium, France, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Spain, and Canada. The styles of illustration are diverse and their stories are unique yet common. The experience of reading them is supposed to alter perspective, or as Giusi Nicolini, the Mayor of Lampedusa, says, “so that they can learn to tell the difference between the horizon and the border.”

“Silent Books, Final Destination Lampedusa”

Lampedusa is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands. It is one of the places and societies in Europe that have been altered dramatically as a result of an urgent need to open its minds and hearths to the refugee crisis. Lampedusa is the final home for the collection of silent books, and is a location that has felt a deep need for the exhibit’s promise of seeding a spirit of welcome, respect, and participation.

Exhibit ends mid-January

When you arrive on the Central Library’s second floor, look for a cordoned off area where the books are on display. There will be seats in the area for reading the books on-site. All are welcome and invited to transcend language, embrace diversity, and take part in this big, unifying silent book tour.

Kasia Morrison is the communications officer for Halifax Public Libraries. Her close, but not too close, perspective leaves plenty of room for insights into the character of today’s public library. Follow her on Twitter at @kazakazam.