Aside from ‘Uma casa é uma montanha é um chapéu’, designed to be accessible to children who are blind or have low vision, by Yara Kono, Fátima Alves, Filipa Tomaz, and Letícia do Carmo, the International Youth Library, based in Munich, has selected two other books with Portuguese authors to be among the approximately 200 best in the world.
The selected works include ‘As pessoas são esquisitas’, by Brazilian-American author Victor D. O. Santos, with illustrations by Portuguese artist Catarina Sobral (published by Orfeu Negro), and ‘(Toda) a ciência em três grandes perguntas’, by British author Philip Ball, illustrated by Portuguese artist Bernardo Carvalho (published by Planeta Tangerina).
Each year, the International Youth Library selects about 200 children’s and young adult books from various languages and countries to serve as a benchmark for readers, mediators, libraries, and for international promotion, awarding them the ‘White Ravens’ label.
The team at the International Youth Library describes “Uma casa é uma montanha é um chapéu” as an “exceptional picture book” that combines text about homes and architecture with graphic design and paper engineering work, intended for both blind children and those who can see well.
The book features illustrations by Yara Kono, accessibility and tactile design work by Fátima Alves, and text by Filipa Tomaz and Letícia do Carmo, published by the Lisbon Architecture Triennale.
“As pessoas são esquisitas” is noted by the German institution as a book full of “empathy and compassion” that explores the diversity of human behavior, as highlighted in a brief online analysis.
‘(Toda) a ciência em três grandes perguntas’ is praised for its narrative quality and the lightness of illustrations in addressing scientific terms and content, demonstrating that “science is not just an accumulation of facts.”
This year’s ‘White Ravens’ selection by the International Youth Library will be presented on Wednesday at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.
[Updated at 6:56 PM]
