News

There are moments ―often― when we need some good news to fill us with inspiration and strength to carry on. The excellent initiative by the 2nd All-Day Nursery School of Potamia, Thasos, to publish a digital version of the annual magazine “Shall We Play with a Book?”, which is dedicated to children’s books, is one such piece of optimistic news!The children’s participation, as well as the editorial supervision by their nursery teacher Vicky Xanthopoulou, were crucial to the second issue. Such important initiatives by inspired teachers deserve great recognition from our society, as they are capable of passing on the inspiration and creativity that children need. Well done, then! The brand-new issue includes the drawings by Birgitta Sif that the author sent to the nursery school along with Oliver’s dolls, so that the children could use them in their activities and learn that it is wonderful to feel different.Thodoris Papaioannou introduced the children to ‘Apenanti’, the new story of Melios, who faces a huge challenge: crossing a busy road full of traffic and cars! Together with the author, the children learnt how Melios managed it and captured it on the pages of the magazine! The issue also includes reviews of the books: The Little Pigs of Happiness (Ioanna Babeta, illustrated by Rania Varvaki), Nikiforos Discovers Emotions, Guided by Cycladic Figurines (Eleni Geroulanou, illustrated by Filippos Fotiadis), From Earth to the Moon, or the Cannon of Peace (Antonis Papatheodoulou, illustrated by Iris Samartzi), Megapolis (Dieudonné Cléa), The Good and the Bad Witches (Antonis Papatheodoulou, illustrated by Iris Samartzi) and The Island Across the Way (Eleni Georgostathi, illustrations: Eliza Vavouri). The front and back covers were designed by Myrto Delivoria, who always takes us on a journey with her images!You can enjoy reading the digital magazine together with your children here. And who knows, by the time they’ve finished reading it, they might be so inspired that they’ll want to publish their own magazine too!

When we hear the word ‘Mum’, the images and nostalgic scents that each of us associates with it can be more powerful than anything we have ever experienced before. A mother is something very special and unique to all of us. She accompanies us through every important moment of our lives, whether easy or difficult, and is there to support us without asking for anything in return.Although Mother’s Day has only been established in recent years, it gives each of us the perfect opportunity to recognise and remember, all year round, just how important her presence is in our lives.We have put together five book recommendations for Mother’s Day: Good Luck Here and Now – Matthew Quick, because readers will be able to meet the book’s protagonist, Bartholomew Neill, and read how he manages to take control of his life ―for the first time― after the loss of his mother, his sole protector until then. ‘When something bad happens to us, something good happens ―often to someone else. And that is Good Luck Here and Now. We must believe in it.”—Matthew QuickPublic Weather – Kiki DimoulaWhy? Because you will be reading one of the most iconic Greek texts of recent years. Kiki Dimoula, sarcastic, ironic, playful, self-deprecating, elliptical, surprising in her metaphors and bold in her similes, dares to use words of the day and even colloquial phrases, hurling them into metaphysical interpretations, unafraid of the familiar criticism for lexical acrobatics. ‘‘AND YET IT MOVES’: Rise, day. Wash yourself; your breakfast is ready, the world freshly served, just cut from the tree of sleep. Take its dream with you for your lunch. Save a little for dusk; you’ll be hungry and the shops will be closed. Just restrain your ostentatious, self-indulgent sprawl as much as you can. After all, you know that on the backside of a mountain, one puff of wind and you’re gone. Poems – George Seferis Because the new edition of Seferis’s poems is a priceless gift. Seferis’s readers, both older and younger, now have the opportunity to engage with his principal poetic output and appreciate the varied ramifications of his character, at times suggestive and at times unexpectedly playful (Nobel Prize 1963). The Monogram – Odysseas Elytis Because we have read it countless times and the thrill of the experience remains unchanged from one reading to the next. You will immediately realise how important it is to your life.Nora Webster – Colm TóibínBecause the tenderness and humanity, the pain of loss, everyday life with its joys and sorrows, the things we say and the things we hide, all combine to create an unforgettable reading experience. You will love the heroine, Nora Webster, like no other. Nora Webster lives in a small town and has taken on the care of her four children following the death of her husband, whilst trying to rebuild her life.

The first phase of voting for the Public Book Awards ‘Pens of the Year’ concluded with 132,457 votes, with readers highlighting their favourite books by choosing from eight different award categories.‘Apenanti’ by Thodoris Papaioannou and Irini Samartzi was voted by the reading public as one of the top 10 children’s books of the year!The second phase of voting has already begun and will run until 22 May. Let’s vote for the book “Apenanti” to reach the top of children’s literature: http://bit.ly/Apenanti2016

The 400th anniversary of the deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare provided the perfect occasion for Greece to celebrate World Book Day 2016 last Saturday, 23 April.The walk, which took place in central Athens from early on Saturday morning, featured 24 stops filled with books and brought readers closer to the authors of the books as well as to their ‘paper heroes’.Ikaros Publications celebrated World Book Day with an event at our historic bookshop, where authors, poets and illustrators who publish their books with us turned out in force. The event was honoured by a large crowd of people, readers young and old, who also wanted to celebrate this unique day of the book in their own way. In the morning, our young friends met and chatted with: Maria Angelidou, Myrto Delivoria, Christos Kourtoglou, Antonis Papatheodoulou, Alekos Papadatos and Irida Samartzi, whilst the luckiest ones even secured signed copies of their books!The event then continued with the presence of distinguished authors: Athanasios Alexandridis, Yannis Antiochos, Christos Giannaras, Kiki Dimoula, Aristos Doxiadis, Lelis Bey, Dimitris Nollas, Dimitris Oikonomou, Thanos Stathopoulos and Giorgos Psaltis. Seventy-three years after its foundation, Ikaros remains a vibrant organisation, a contemporary publishing house that collaborates with leading creators in their fields and constantly renews its readership.The grand celebration concluded with best wishes for World Book Day and for a society in which reading books will be an integral part of our daily lives.