The International Youth Library Foundation is hosting the 8th White Ravens Festival for International Children's and Youth Literature under the patronage of the Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts: eleven authors from eight countries will be on the road in Munich and throughout Bavaria over five days to bring their books to a young audience in readings and talks, musical poetry programmes and workshops. All information on the topics, the authors and their books can now be found on our festival website at www.wrfestival.de/en.

Pippi Longstocking's red braids, Momo's wild head of curls and Rapunzel's long braid
There are numerous characters in children's literature with strikingly beautiful hair. Hair and hairstyles are often a central feature of children's literary characters - and in many cases hair is more than just hair: it symbolises character traits, creates identity or expresses emotions such as fear or anger.
In the new exhibition, wild plaits and strict braids from old and new picture books and children's books from all over the world can be discovered.

Due to current events, I would like to draw your attention to the enclosed press release on the ‘Literary Week against Anti-Semitism’, which contains a correction regarding the planned closing event on 27 January 2025. 

Seven Munich literary and educational institutions are setting an example of solidarity with Jews in the city and throughout Germany with the ‘Literary Week against Anti-Semitism’ in January 2025.

‘Literary Week against Anti-Semitism’ is a cooperation between the Cultural Centre of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, the Monacensia at the Hildebrandhaus, the Munich Adult Education Centre, the NS Documentation Centre, the International Youth Library Foundation, the Munich Literature House Foundation and the Poetry Cabinet Foundation.

Originals by renowned illustrators such as Rotraut Susanne Berner, Erhard Dietl, Daniela Kulot, Axel Scheffler and Susanne Straßer will be auctioned off. 
There will also be exhibits from the estate of Binette Schroeder. 
The auction will be hosted by the former Lord Mayor of Munich, Christian Ude. The proceeds will benefit the promotion of children's book illustration through exhibitions and workshops at the International Youth Library. The auction catalogue is available online in advance. 

This year’s »The White Ravens« recommendation list features brief annotations of 216 notable new children’s and young adult books in 44 languages from 62 countries. They have been selected by the International Youth Library‘s children’s literature experts from the large number of review and donation copies the library received in the course of the past year. The team, with the support of children's literature experts from all over the world, focuses on titles that might be of particular interest to an international audience because of their literary and pictorial quality and/or the topics they address.