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Freedom of Imagination ICBD

International Children’s Book Day, acknowledged on or around April 2, is a day to celebrate youth literacy and encourage and inspire children and young adults to read. We celebrate on or around April 2 to honor the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, a famous Dutch children’s author. Every year since 1967, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) allows a country to be the sponsor for ICBD. They are tasked to provide a theme for ICBD and invite a popular author to scribe a message for children and a popular illustrator to design a poster for ICBD.

Here is the poster for this year:

International Children’s Book Day Poster

This year, the Netherlands is the country of choice, and the theme for International Children’s Book Day 2025 is “the freedom of imagination.” The motto for this year is a quote from a poem called “The Language of Pictures” written by Dutch poet Rian Visser: “Make pictures for my poem, and please feel free: these words belong to you, even though they came from me.” The poster illustrator is Janneke Ipenburg. 

Since this year’s theme is freedom of imagination, we want to tell you how important it is to express yourself, to create, to sing, to dance, to scream, to cry – to BE and EXIST loudly! The freedom to imagine goes far beyond what you want to be when you grow up or what you think a bear mixed with a dragon looks like (sounds awesome!). Exercising the imagination is extremely crucial to a child’s cognitive development because it helps to foster life and problem-solving skills, inspires creativity, and encourages children to have ideas, express them, and believe that they have the tools to make those ideas come to life. Children gain confidence and independence in making choices and learning how to navigate challenges. 

Reading is a major component of teaching a child to foster their imagination. By reading, not only are they expanding their knowledge, but kids can also get immersed in a story and use their imagination to visualize parts of the book. Plus, it’s just beautiful to see the light and joy in a child when they play with their imaginary friends or to hear the script of a short performance going on in the playroom with the toys. We can teach our children that they are valued and important parts of society when we make the use of their imagination just as important – because it is. Here are some ways to practice using a child’s imagination:

Here are some ways to practice using a child’s imagination:

  • Play with them and by their rules! When you hear them playing with their toys and pretending their Bluey stuffed animal is a wizard from space, ask if you can join and ask what role is best to go along with the story. Giving them some authority to create their own story instills the importance of ideas in children and shows that you are excited to play with them!
  • Allow some choice in what books are read together. Ask your child what story they would want to read or what animal/person/being they want to see. Then, allow them to read it aloud. Even if they aren’t actually reading, they are actually telling you a story. Then, you can read the actual story to them later!
  • Use YOUR imagination! Dress up a cardboard box and surprise them with it, or create an indoor Olympics, or just do something wacky, silly or out of the ordinary. If you let your brain roam a bit, it gives them permission to do the same.
  • Provide open-ended play, like building blocks or a blank canvas to paint. This will allow them to create however they like – there’s no wrong way!

Here are some fun, imaginative books to read with your children. And remember, give yourself and your child the FREEDOM OF IMAGINATION!

Milo Imagines the World By Matt de La Peña

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de La Peña

“Milo is on a long subway ride with his older sister. To pass the time, he studies the faces around him and makes pictures of their lives. There’s the whiskered man with the crossword puzzle; Milo imagines him playing solitaire in a cluttered apartment full of pets. There’s the wedding-dressed woman with a little dog peeking out of her handbag; Milo imagines her in a grand cathedral ceremony. And then there’s the boy in the suit with the bright white sneakers; Milo imagines him arriving home to a castle with a drawbridge and a butler. But when the boy in the suit gets off on the same stop as Milo – walking the same path, going to the exact same place – Milo realizes that you can’t really know anyone just by looking at them.”

-Provided by Publisher

The Making of Butterflies By Zora Neale Hurston

The Making of Butterflies by Zora Neale Hurston

Find out why butterflies were made in Zora Neale Hurston’s stunning and layered African American folktale retold by #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by Kah Yangni. This accessible and sizable board book is perfect for introducing the youngest of readers to the beauty of Hurston’s storytelling and will spark curiosity in children about how things in our world came to be.

The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination By Brad Montague

The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination by Brad Montague

“Sparky the special figment agent delivers all the mail in the very orderly Fantastic Bureau of Imagination, until one day when all the unshared ideas in the world overflow and threaten to topple the whole building.”

– Provided by Publisher

Ruby's Sword By Jacqueline Véissid

Ruby’s Sword by Jacqueline Véissid

Ruby wants to play with her older brothers, but they always ignore her and leave her out of their games–but when Ruby starts to build her own castle she discovers a way to make her brothers want to play with her.

Also An Octopus or A Little Bit Of Nothing By Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Also An Octopus or A Little Bit Of Nothing by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

“It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something–maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass? Debut author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, with the help of illustrator Benji Davies, sets up an endearingly funny story, then hands the baton to readers, who will be more than primed to take it away.”

-Provided by Publisher