International Children's Book Day
illustration: Sandra Elephteriou
Organized by IBBY The International Board on Book for Young People, different National sponsors are chosen each year to represent Children’s Book Day internationally.
International Children’s Books Day is always held on or around 2nd April. This was the birthday of the famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote some of the best-known children’s stories, including ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Little Mermaid’ or ‘The Ugly Duckling’.
In 2026, International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is sponsored by BBYIBBY Cyprus, around the theme “Plant stories and the world will bloom”.
Through this beautiful motto, IBBY Cyprus recognizes the inherent value of stories, books, and reading and their potential to improve the world. It also emphasizes the need for a shift to more environmentally friendly life choices.
IBBY Ciprus is the sponsor for International Children's Book Day 2026. The author of the message is Elena Perikleous and Sandra Elephteriouis the illustrator of the poster.
Both the messages and poster were chosen via a nationwide competition featuring distinguished Cypriot authors and illustrators. To ensure fairness, all entries were submitted anonymously to about 20 schools across the country, with their authors’ identities disclosed only after the final votes were counted. Elena Perikleous is the author of the poem embodying 2026 ICBD. The poster was created by Sandra Elephteriou.
đź’“Message:
Once upon a time, a child was born, longing to live better than the heroes of fairy tales—who only lived happily ever after.
The child grew and changed, read, and became Don Quixote, battling windmills; Alice, bringing wonder to life; Robin Hood, saving the forests; a wolf, gathering moon-singing packs.
Years passed, but the world remained untouched by the change once dreamed of.
Yet—the child managed to put together a brand new world within a garden courtyard, filled with everything dear to the heart.
More years passed.
And as books whispered wisdom into the soul, the child knew what had to be done.
When autumn came, the earth was tilled and seeds were planted.
Winter arrived.
The child waited patiently for the white sheath to melt, nurtured by the company of budding books.
Then it was spring. Tender leaves shot out from the stems.
Trunks thickened, branches stretched, buds sprouted.
The child’s soul blossomed, filled with colours and scents.
(...)
Elena Perikleous
Translation by Despina Pirketti
- ICBD 2026 Official Song - "The Little Gardener" by Giorgos Hatzipieris
My usual readers know how I love reading. I often write about books, specially children books.  Google Images Archives Some thoughts: I am a huge fan of reading in school. As educators, we have an ubiquitous responsibility to encourage the love of reading in our students by exploring this wonderful and magical resource in our lessons, formal and informal learning. International Children's Book Day is a fantastic motivation to tell and demonstrate our students how reading can be a gift by stimulating the imagination and "offering creative solutions to obstacles that we will find along the way." The love of books and reading books are beautiful moments in Languages curricula, in the classroom or on blended learning. |
- One is benefiting those readers in your classroom that wish to read from you and need to let them be free.
- Secondly, it is so you can reap the exponential rewards their choices offers.
By inviting your students to go at the school library and choose a book to read aloud in the classroom will let them free to read a book they like.
G-Souto
02.04.2026
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