In a world heavily impacted by climate change, natural disasters, conflicts, digital environmental pressures, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, children need more spaces for emotional connection, empathy, and humanistic values. Picture books, therefore, are an art form that combines words and images, contributing to supporting children through the changes of modern life.

Ms. Nguyen Huu Quynh Huong provided information about the value and impact of picture books on children.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Nguyen Huu Quynh Huong, Director of Slowbooks and Head of the Organizing Committee, stated that this is the first time Vietnam has organized a specialized festival for children's picture books, marking the beginning of a journey to build a dedicated space for this genre in Vietnam.

The highlight of the festival is the project to select "100 children's picture books to love and remember," aiming to preserve, systematize, and promote Vietnamese picture books. Despite strong growth in the last two decades, particularly between 2012 and 2016, Vietnamese picture books still lack an official, comprehensive catalog to widely introduce them to the public and international friends.

The organizers guided young people in participating in the book-reading activity to exchange for gifts.

According to the organizers, the selection process faced many difficulties because many books had ceased reprinting or were difficult to find copies of. Through the selection list and the series of activities at the festival, the organizers hope to contribute to promoting the potential of Vietnamese picture books, opening up opportunities for publishing cooperation, translation, and copyright exchange with international partners.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Kim Gugyoung, President of the Korean Picture Book Publishers Association (KPPA), stated that the greatest strength of picture books lies in their ability to overcome language barriers to connect people and spread shared human values. Through the combination of images and emotions, picture books not only help children access the world in a close and vivid way but also become a "common language" connecting cultures, helping to bridge language gaps, foster empathy, and enhance cultural exchange between nations.

Parents and children explore the exhibition "100 Vietnamese Picture Books to Love and Remember".

In the first thematic discussion session, speakers clarified the differences between picture books and comic books. Accordingly, picture books use images as the primary storytelling language, focusing more on the emotions, aesthetics, and reading experience of children; while comic books are more focused on plot, characters, and continuous development through the frames.

Opinions also suggest that picture books have an advantage in combining language with visual images, helping children access the world around them more vividly, while also creating appeal in the face of competition from electronic devices and digital media. Therefore, investing in the development of picture books is considered a necessary direction to contribute to protecting and nurturing the spiritual lives of children.

Within the framework of the festival taking place from May 28th to 31st, the Organizing Committee is implementing many activities such as the exhibition "100 Vietnamese Picture Books to Love and Remember," a picture book fair with the participation of many publishing and distribution units for children's books; interactive reading programs, creative workshops, author meet-and-greets, thematic discussions and presentations on the development trends of picture books in the digital age.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/them-mot-khong-gian-nuoi-duong-tam-hon-tre-tho-1041722