SDGs and Children's Books: What Libraries Can Do (FY2022)

The following content was created in FY2022.

Interviews

Interview "Books Open a Window into the World: Children's Books and the SDGs" with Ms. SAKUMA Yumiko, the JBBY President

Ms. SAKUMA Yumiko, the Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY) President, talks about the JBBY's activities related to the SDGs, what adults involved in children's books should do for children, and more.


Interview "Books Open a Window into the World: Children's Books and the SDGs" (about 16 minutes, YouTube. English and Japanese subtitles are available)

Ms. Sakuma is a translator, editor, and Director of the Japan-Africa Children's Books Project (JACBOP). JBBY President since 2017. She authored Enzaro-mura no Kamado (The Cooking Stoves of Enzaro Village) and others. Her more than 250 translations include Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, a 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award winner.

Interview "Let's Think about the Earth and the World with Mottainai Grandma" with Ms. SHINJU Mariko, a picture book author and illustrator

Ms. Shinju thinks that "mottainai" is wisdom for all people of the world to live in peace, since mottainai not only means "don't waste," but also "respect others." Ms. Shinju talks about what she tries to convey to children through her most famous works, the Mottainai Grandma series, and through her activities in Japan and abroad.


Interview "Let's Think about the Earth and the World with Mottainai Grandma" (about 12 minutes, YouTube. English and Japanese subtitles are available)

Ms. Shinju studied writing and illustrating picture books in Osaka and New York. In 2004, the first Mottainai Grandma book was published in Japan. The main character of the book has been serialized in newspapers and magazines, and in 2020, the series was animated in 7 languages.

Interview "Connecting Deep Emotions and the Real World: My Picture Books and the SDGs" with Mr. Shaun TAN, an artist, writer and illustrator of picture books

Mr. Tan talks from his studio in Australia about the power of picture books, his own works which touch on themes related to the SDGs, and his thoughts on education as an artist.


Interview "Connecting Deep Emotions and the Real World: My Picture Books and the SDGs" (about 13 minutes, YouTube. English and Japanese subtitles are available)

Mr. Tan was born in Australia, where he lives. He is best known for illustrated books that deal with social and historical subjects through dream-like imagery, widely translated throughout the world and enjoyed by readers of all ages. Recipient of awards including an Academy Award for the short animated film The Lost Thing, the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in Sweden and the Kate Greenaway Medal in the UK.