The Vietnam Children’s Picture Book Festival introduces the exhibition titled “100 Vietnamese Picture Books to Love and Remember” at the HCM City General Sciences Library at 69 Lý Tự Trọng Street in Bến Thành Ward until May 31. — VNS Photo Phương Mai

HCM CITY — The first Việt Nam Children’s Picture Book Festival (VCPF) kicked off in HCM City on Thursday, showcasing thousands of titles by Vietnamese and foreign publishing houses and book distributors.

The highlight of the event is the exhibition titled 100 Vietnamese Picture Books to Love and Remember, displaying 100 typical Vietnamese picture books and book series curated by nine experts and representatives from various fields, including education, publishing, library, reading culture development, children’s literature, writing and picture book illustration.

The list aims to look back on the past 20 years of domestic picture publishing, and offer an overview of how picture books have been understood, created, and published in Việt Nam over this long period.

It also honours Vietnamese authors, illustrators, publishers, and distributors.

Nguyễn Hữu Quỳnh Hương, founder of Slowbooks and head of the organisation board, said the VCPF will bring the list to international platforms, helping to expand the presence of Vietnamese picture books, their visual language and their spirit among readers around the world.

Children and parents can view the exhibition at two locations during the four-day festival: the HCM City General Sciences Library at 69 Lý Tự Trọng Street in Bến Thành Ward, and the HCM City Book Street on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street in Sài Gòn Ward.

Readers view Korean picture books at the festival. — VNS Photo Phương Mai

The festival also features the Korean Picture Book Exhibition, presenting 66 titles curated by the Korea Picture Book Publishers Association (KPPA), including many works that have received awards both in Korea and internationally, and have been published or licensed in numerous countries.

It offers a diverse glimpse into contemporary Korean picture books, and invites Vietnamese readers to explore the world of Korean picture books where stories of family, nature, imagination and childhood emotions are told through evocative visual language.

Kim Gug Young, KPPA Chairman, said the VCPF shows that the picture book is a strong means of connecting people and helping people from different countries around the world understand each other deeply without language.

The organisers set up stalls to present thousands of Vietnamese and foreign picture books released by Vietnamese publishers, book distributors and educational organisations, such as Đông Á Books, Đinh Tị Book, Thái Hà Books and Room to Read Vietnam, a non-profit organisation for children’s literacy.

A series of activities is being held during the festival, including book introductions and discussions about the role of picture books in education and society, hosted by authors, illustrators, publishers, experts and educators from Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Việt Nam

It includes reading books for children and performances of short drama adapted from the books.

The VCPF is organised by Slowbooks, a picture book distributor in HCM City, and its partners, the General Sciences Library, and the HCM City branch of the Việt Nam Publishing Association.

The festival is open for free to the public until May 31 at 69 Lý Tự Trọng Street in Bến Thành Ward. — VNS