Information on the Great East Japan Earthquake and children’s reading

【2011-E004】

Information on the Great East Japan Earthquake and children’s reading.

On April 1st, 2011, a new content, “Information on the Great East Japan Earthquake and children’s reading,” was added to the ILCL website. It provides links to websites related to the Great East Japan Earthquake and children’s reading, and the news about movements of the government and library-related-organizations, and activities to support child victims.

Since March 11th, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake has come into the world spotlight. In the USA, on March 17th, 2011, a new website carrying hints on how to talk with children about the earthquake and a booklist of Japan and earthquakes appeared on the School Library Journal website.

On March 27th, a Danish education portal site, EMU, updated information on tsunami, referring to the Great East Japan Earthquake, and started to provide “Japan 2011,” a collection of links to relevant sites.

On March 26th, Dick Bruna, a Dutch graphic designer, author and illustrator of children’s books, sent an image of his character, Miffy, the rabbit, and a handwritten message, in response to an appeal from the Asahi Shimbun. He drew Miffy with two big teardrops in black ink with a message for Japanese children.

On April 5th, the Asahi Shimbun also reported that the wife of E.M. Rachev, a Russian illustrator, would donate the royalties on the Japanese edition of Rachev’s picture book, “The Glove” (Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers), for one year. “The Glove” is a story of animals who take refuge from snow one after another under a glove in the forest. It is a folk tale of Ukraine, where the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident occurred. Bruna’s Miffy and Rachev’s “The Glove” – their universal humanity, sympathy and compassion will comfort and encourage Japanese children in fear and grief.

Ref:

(2011.6.20 update)
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