
The IBBY CONGRESS London was about making friends across the world from Slovenia to Canada; USA to South Korea, from Mongolia to New Zealand; from India to the world…. to Australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some of the wonderful friends I made are in these photos – and there were other wonderful people too – Dr Veronika Rot Gabrovec Slovenia; Ingrid Kallstrom Stockholm; Merle Harris Edmonton Canada; Swapna Dutta Bangalore India …and …….many friends.






I was touched when Merle Harris from Canada, was excited to meet me because she has been teaching I AM JACK for many years and it’s part of her school curriculum. Their one lonely copy can now be supplemented with I Am Jack being published in the USA (Kane Miller ) at last. So deeply felt.
Shared with the Director of Library Services, Friends Seminary a Quaker School ‘Ships in the Field’. She’s taking it back to New York for her school.
Brilliant panel with Bart Moeyaert, award winning Belgium author translated into many languages and iconic Aidan Chambers Hans Christian Andersen Medal award winner and winner of the Carnegie Medal for ‘Postcards from No Man’s Land’.
They are champions of translating literature into English. Aidan gave some funny examples of mistranslation.
Actually I worry about how my ‘Butterflies’ truly reads in Bahasa (Indonesian) as the book looks cut down and censored. I’d never know.
Finally, so excited about meeting the Slovenian contingent, especially Veronika Rot Gabrovec, lectuere University of Ljublijana Slovenia. Veronika teaches Australian literature and knows my Slovenian publisher of ‘I Am Jack’ – just translated.Exciting to connect to the world through literature.
Great to share it with the Australian contingent, Robin Morrow and Jenni Woodroffe from IBBY Australia, and Frane Lessac illustrator exaordinaire.

