Today, the International Children's Book Day is celebrated around the world. It is a world holiday that calls for the glorification of literature and teaching children to read. Let's go back to the beginning and analyze what books children in Russia and the USA like to read.
International Children's Book Day: a bit of history
The date of the holiday, April 2, was not chosen by chance. It was on this day that Hans Christian Andersen was born. Danish writer of children's fairy tales and illustrator. His works are loved and read all over the world. Remember how good it was to fall asleep to "Thumbelina" or "The Little Mermaid"? Andersen is the author of these and many other fairy tales. The holiday is dedicated to him. The main idea of today is to draw public attention to the idea that it is important and useful for children to read books.
The history of children's books does not begin until the seventeenth century. Before Mark Twain and Jonathan Swift, children listened to folk tales and legends. In Russia, for example, the first literature for children appeared thanks to Hieromonk Savvaty. And he was followed by A.S. Pushkin, S.T. Aksakov and others.
In 1968, the USSR joined the national section of IBBY. This association exists to this day. Its main task and mission is to talk about children's literature. Thanks to IBBY's support, events and contests dedicated to books for children are held all over the world. And every two years, on this day, the association awards the best children's writers and artists for their contribution to the development of literature for children.
Popular children's books in the U.S.
In the mid-10s (of our century, if anything), there was a massive study being conducted in the US. The goal was to understand "What are kids reading?". I would like to note that literary activities for children in the United States are very developed. Children's libraries give away unwanted books at the end of the school year. Regular events devoted to children's books are held. For our young reader, Agnia Barto and Korney Ivanovich are the Alliahs of children's literature. By the way, just recently we talked about Korney Ivanovich in our blog. Here it is here a list of the best works by Russia's most popular children's writer. Let's find out what is popular with children in the States.
Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss).
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "The Cat in the Hat," "Green Eggs and Ham," and "Horton the Elephant Waiting for a Chick" are some of his most popular books in America. The works of Dr. Seuss are a real guide for American children in learning English. The themes of children's books by Dr. Seuss are always humorous and funny, absurd and yet extremely interesting. Unfortunately, even all the richness of the Russian language does not convey the colors that a child can see in the original. We strongly recommend to turn to Suze's children's books and read them in English. Suitable for children of preschool age.
Beatrix Potter
"The Tale of Peter Rabbit" has won the hearts of American and British preschoolers. English artist and author Beatrix Potter tells us the story of Peter Rabbit and his family. By the way, Peter is the most popular Easter bunny. His face is used on the packaging of everything that can be attributed to the Catholic Easter.
Rick Riordan
"Just another children's fiction already filling all the bookstore shelves," you think?
"No, we don't!" - we reply. The series of books about Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon himself, tells readers about the world of the gods of Olympus. Believe us, schoolchildren will learn Greek mythology by heart! The cycle includes five main stories about Percy's adventures. The author also has fantastic collections about Scandinavian and Egyptian mythology.
Jeff Kinney
Diary of a wimpy kid" comics are stories about a teenage boy who complains about his parents. He tries to get along with his classmates, and spends his days on a console. In general, lives the usual life of an ordinary teenager. American schoolchildren with rapture read funny stories about the guy and always wait for the release of a new comic book.
Popular children's books in Russia
Children's books of the USSR and modern Russian books warmly resonate in our hearts. We are sure that you remember "White Beam Black Ear" or, for example, "Republic of Shkid" very well. Russian writers of children's books have left an indelible mark in literature. Many of the works are read by children abroad. We propose to turn to popular children's literature in Russia.
Viktor Dragunsky
"Deniskiny stories" by Viktor Dragunsky - these are funny and instructive stories about the boy Denis Korablev. He tries his mischievous life to taste: then porridge from the window will pour out, then fly under the dome of the circus. He is constantly late for lessons and comes up with literally unspeakable reasons for his tardiness. "Deniskiny stories" will be perfect for preschoolers and children of primary school age.
Nikolay Nosov
"The Adventures of Neznayka and His Friends" immerses children in the world of little kids in Flower City. Neznayka is the central character in the story. His levity and love of getting into all sorts of mischief fall in love with little readers. We recommend reading about the failures and grandiose accomplishments of Neznayka to preschoolers and children of 1-2 grade.
Alexander Volkov
"The Wizard of Emerald City" - a book that was hunted by children all over the USSR. Once the book appeared in the local library, crowds of kids would wait their turn to get their hands on it. The story is about a girl Ellie, who can not return to her native Kansas because of a terrible hurricane. Her friends, Totoshka the dog, Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow, travel to the Emerald City to see a wizard who will grant their every wish. The book will pull children in from the first minutes and will not let go until the last word!
Veniamin Kaverin
Once we read "The Two Captains", it will accompany us throughout our lives. The story is about friendship and goals in life, about betrayal and love. Adventure novel will tell us about the life path of Sani Grigoriev. In childhood, he survived a terrible disease and now he can not speak. Once on the shore he discovers a letter carrier's bag and for the next few months he enthusiastically reads letters from the bag with his friend. The letters belonged to members of a polar expedition. Sanya Grigoriev will devote his life to finding the expeditioners and telling the whole truth from the letters.
Read yourself and instill a love of reading in your children! Books are one of the sources of our understanding of the world. There is a sea of stories and oceans of hope ahead.
Our online Russian language school for bilingual children helps children start reading and speaking the language of their parents (or one of them) after the first month of school. Read with us in Russian! You can join the lessons by leaving your contact details in the form below. We will get back to you soon in a convenient way!
