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To help Hong Kong families cope with the long school closure, the Hong Kong International Young Readers Festival will transform into a series of online events and digital resources, alongside the distribution of more than 13,000 free books to primary school children.

The annual festival was postponed due to school closures and quarantine measures to control the spread of COVID-19, but as parents look for every opportunity to keep their kids stimulated, the Festival team is committed to bringing the joys of reading to Hong Kong’s children now more than ever.

This year’s Young Readers Festival will be accessible to all children in Hong Kong, with local and international writers presenting a program of inspirational online events live in the first two weeks of June, which will remain available on our website along with related resources, for students, parents and teachers to access whenever they like. Authors will include British author and performer Mark Llewelyn Evans, who uses music and storytelling to engage kids with the story of opera, and Australian writer and bush worker Matt Zurbo, who inspires kids to create their own stories by finding humour and inspiration in every day events. Well-loved local authors Sarah Brennan and Anna Tso will also share tales based on Hong Kong life and Chinese culture.

We are also delighted to be working with partner organisations to distribute free books to young readers. Award-winning children’s book publisher Gecko Press in New Zealand has sent more than 13,000 books to Hong Kong, ranging from picture books for babies and toddlers to chapter books for 7 to 9 year-olds. Shipping was generously sponsored by Everbest Printing Investment Ltd. and the books will be distributed to families by project partners Oxfam Hong Kong, The Zubin Foundation, St James Settlement and Hong Chi Association.

The mission of the Young Readers Festival is to motivate and inspire young people to engage with all aspects of the written word. Thanks to our partners and donors, and generous ongoing grants from the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, we are able to fulfill this mission with online events, and by putting books in the hands of children across Hong Kong.

香港國際文學節今天宣佈，為了幫助香港家庭渡過是次漫長的停課，國際青少年文學節將會舉辦一系列網上活動和提供各式各樣的電子資源，並向小讀者派發超過13000本免費圖書。

為了控制新型冠狀病毒散播，今年的文學節也因應停課和隔離措施而延期舉行。然而，各位家長繼續尋求激勵小朋友學習的機會，而文學節的團隊亦致力向小朋友分享閱讀的樂趣。

本屆香港青少年文學節會供全港小讀者參加，本地和外國作家會於六月首兩個星期在網上現場主持一連串生動有趣的活動。相關影片和教材會保留於我們的網站，以供學生、家長和教師隨時瀏覽。邀請的作者包括以音樂和講故事的形式向小朋友介紹歌劇精髓的英國作家兼演員Mark Llewelyn Evans，與鼓勵小朋友在平日生活尋找寫故事的幽默和靈感澳洲作家兼灌木工人Matt Zurbo。深受愛戴的本地作家Sarah Brennan和曹穎寶博士也會分享改編自香港生活和中國文化事蹟的短篇故事。

我們亦很高興與其他團體合作，向小讀者派發免費圖書。由獲獎無數的新西蘭兒童圖書出版社Gecko Press寄出的超過13000本圖書已抵達香港，當中包括幼兒圖畫書和適合7歲至9歲小讀者的小說。貨運成本由Everbest Printing Investment Ltd慷慨贊助，而圖書將會透過我們的項目夥伴香港樂施會、小彬紀念基金會、聖雅各福群會和匡智會分發給各個家庭。

青少年文學節的使命是鼓勵年輕人與不同層面的文字進行互動。我們由衷感謝文學節的合作夥伴和捐款人，還有語文教育及研究常務委員會慷慨提供的資助，協助我們以網上活動和派發圖書的方式履行這使命。