A unique international collection of books for and about children with disabilities is to go on display at The Hive from this weekend.
This selection of books, chosen by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), will be exhibited from Saturday, April 2 to Thursday, April 21.
It is being brought to the Country by IBBY UK in association with the University of Worcester's International Centre for the Picture Book in Society, which has an international reputation for children's literature and illustration.
Piet Grobler, a distinguished illustrator and Lecturer in Illustration at the University, who is a member of the IBBY, said: "This is a wonderfully exciting opportunity to see such a brilliant and specialised selection of books originating from so many different countries. IBBY does some great work and helps children all over the world to connect and express themselves through literature. I feel that there is not enough discussion about disability within literature and we need exceptional authors and illustrators like those that are going to be on show at the Hive to help change that."
IBBY was founded in 1953 in Zurich, Switzerland by Jella Lepman and has six key aims: to promote international understanding through children's books; to give children everywhere the opportunity to have access to books with high literary and artistic standards; to encourage the publication and distribution of quality children's books, especially in developing countries; to provide support and training for those involved with children and children's literature; to stimulate research and scholarly works in the field of children's literature; to protect and uphold the Rights of the Child according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The exhibition will include a variety of short stories, picture books and, most notably, a tactile and braille edition of The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
The exhibition will be available free of charge during The Hive"s regular opening hours.