SDGs and Children's Books: What Libraries Can Do (FY2020)
The following content was created in FY2020.
Dialogues
Dialogue "SDGs and Children's Books: What Libraries Can Do" by Ms. NEMOTO Kaoru, Director of the United Nations Information Centre, and Ms. HORI Junko, Director of the ILCL
In the first part, Ms. Hori of the ILCL heard from Ms. Nemoto of the UNIC about the SDGs and the current situation.
In the second part, Ms. Nemoto explains about the SDG Book Club and other initiatives. Then Ms. Hori and Ms. Nemoto discuss the role of children's books in achieving the SDGs and what librarians can do, based on episodes related to the books they read when they were children.
After working as a TV Asahi announcer and reporter, Ms. Nemoto worked at UNHCR from 1996 to 2011. She assumed her current position as the Director of UNIC Tokyo in August 2013. She earned Law degree from University of Tokyo and Master's degree in International Relations from Columbia University.
Interviews
Interview "What What What?: What Children's Books Can Do" with Mr. TENDO Arata, an author
"What what what?," the English version of the picture book どーしたどーした, has been selected for the SDG Book Club's Book List Goal 3 "Good Health and Well-Being." This book's author, Mr. Tendo, talks about the background behind the title, his thoughts on the SDGs, and what children's books and libraries can do for SDGs.
Mr. Tendo was born in Ehime prefecture in Japan. He made his debut on the literary scene in 1986 with "The White Family" (白の家族), which won the prize for new writers by Yasei Jidai. He won one of the Japanese top literature awards, the Naoki prize, for "The Mourner" (悼む人) in 2008. His representative works include "Offspring of the Eternal" (永遠の仔). He published his first picture book "What what what?" (どーしたどーした) in 2014.
Interview "Thank You, Omu!: What Libraries Can Do" with Ms. Oge MORA, a picture book author and illustrator
Ms. Oge MORA, a picture book author and illustrator, whose picture book "Thank You, Omu!" was selected for the SDG Book Club's Book List Goal 2 "Zero Hunger," talks about her memories of the library, the story behind "Thank You, Omu!," and what people who are involved with children's books can do for children.
Ms. Mora's picture book, "Thank You, Omu!," was a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, and Ezra Jack Keats Book Award recipient. Her second book, "Saturday," won the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award. Her artwork has been applauded by "The Washington Post," "The New York Times," "The Wall Street Journal," and "The Boston Globe." She also recently made the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 list in Arts & Style.