There are some wonderful authors and illustrators for children who are coming to Auckland in August as part of the 2016 IBBY Congress. You can read all about who we are excited to meet in our post about the IBBY Congress here on the blog. We approached some of the speakers and asked them a few questions about books and libraries.
Today's featured speaker is the current Australian Children's Laureate, 
Leigh Hobbs:
What are you most looking forward to when you visit New Zealand for the 2016 IBBY Congress?
I’m looking forward to meeting others as involved and enthusiastic about the world of children’s books as I am.
What is your favourite memory of libraries?
My favourite memory of Libraries is as a sort of safe haven when I was a child at school, where I could pore over books to ‘my hearts content’ – as they say…
What are 5 of your favourite books?
My favourite books are:
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Treasure Island and Kidnapped (by Robert Louis Stevenson)
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London the Biography (by Peter Ackroyd)
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Oscar Wilde (by Richard Ellman)
What do you love most about the world of children's literature?
What I love most about the world of children’s Literature is feeling that I am, to a small degree, a contributor to that wonderful unbridled world which is the child’s imagination.
What do you believe is the most important thing that adults can do to encourage children to read?
I think the most important thing that adults can do to encourage a child to read is to expose them to a broad range of books, not just ‘story books’, or ‘children’s books’.
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