Introduction
Over
the past decade the Clarke Library has worked to add to our collection
of children's material examples of the best children's books published
internationally. To accomplish this goal we have obtained books
nominated by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
for the Hans Christian Anderson award.
Founded in 1950, IBBY is a non-profit organization which
represents an international network of people from all over the world
who are committed to bringing books and children together. In June 2004
the organization had 68 national sections, along with representation in
an additional six countries that lacked full recognition as a national
section.
Among IBBY's activities is the awarding of the Hans
Christian Anderson Award. Every other year IBBY presents the Hans
Christian Andersen Awards to a living author and illustrator whose
complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's
literature. Often called the "Little Nobel Prize", the Hans Christian
Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an
author and an illustrator of children's books.
The nominations are made by the National Sections of IBBY and
the recipients are selected by a distinguished international jury of
children's literature specialists. The Hans Christian Anderson Award was
first given to an author in 1956 and the award was expanded to include
an illustrator as well as an author in 1966.
The IBBY nominee books found in the Clarke include nominees for the years 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004.