The IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages highlights books from around the world by Indigenous writers with a goal to protect these stories and culture.

By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox

From August 6-9, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) hosted their 40th Annual World Congress in Ottawa, Canada, bringing together 350 national and international publishers and publishing professionals to discuss this year’s theme “Listening to Each Other’s Voices.”

As part of this year’s program, IBBY partnered with The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to create the IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages which seeks to protect linguistic diversity in the field of children’s literature.

According to an UNESCO study, 40 percent of the approximately 7,000 languages around the world may disappear at the end of the 21st century, which results in a loss of culture and identity.

The IBBY-UNESCO Collection works to promote books and reading and to help publishers and readers discover and share books written for young readers in Indigenous and endangered languages. The collection was selected by a committee composed by members of IBBY, UNESCO, and international experts in children’s and young adult publishing.

One publisher which had a six titles in the inaugural collection was HUIA Publishers, a Māori owned, independent publisher in New Zealand which publishes innovative and inspiring books and resources that resonate with the people, reflect their experiences, and value their culture and language.

For more than three decades, HUIA Publishers has argued that Indigenous peoples must remain the custodians of their own stories.

‘These books exist because generations of storytellers, illustrators, translators and language champions believed our stories mattered,” said Eboni Waitere, Director of HUIA Publishers and the first Māori President of the Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu.

‘This recognition belongs to them. We hope it encourages publishers everywhere to invest in Indigenous languages—not because they are endangered, but because they are compelling stories.”

The inclusion of these six books in the inaugural collection comes during a period of growing international interest in Indigenous publishing and language revitalization. As President of the Publishers Association of New Zealand, Waitere has advocated internationally for Indigenous publishing, intellectual property rights, cultural authority, and the principle of “nothing about us, without us” in conversations about artificial intelligence and the future of publishing.

The six HUIA children’s books which have been selected for the inaugural IBBY–UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages represent that idea.

The six selected titles are:

• Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro by Brianne Te Paa, illustrator Story Hemi-Morehouse
  • Awards: Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award 2023; Storylines Te Kahurangi Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira Award 2022; Storylines Notable Book List 2022; NZ Booklovers Best Children’s Picture Book Award 2023; IBBY Honour List 2024
• Mokopuna Matatini by Pania Tahau-Hodges; illustrator Story Hemi-Morehouse
  • Award: Storylines Notable Book List 2022
• Te Pohū by Sacha Cotter, Illustrator Josh Morgan, Translator Kawata Teepa
• Hineraukatauri me te Ara Pūoro by Elizabeth Gray and the Haumanu Collective, Illustrator       Rehua Wilson
  • Awards: Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award 2025; Storylines Trust Notable Te Reo Māori Award 2024; Russell Clark Award for Illustration 2025; The White Ravens Selection 2025
• Tiare Tangaroa me te Taipō Moana by T K Roxborogh, Translator Kanapu Rangitauira
  • Award: Storylines Notable Book List 2022
• Ngā Ngeru by Amiria Stirling, Illustrator Sarah Illingworth
• • Award:  Storylines Te Kahurangi Katerina Te Heikōkō Mataira Award 2020

The titles will become part of the permanent UNESCO collection in Paris and will tour internationally through UNESCO and IBBY exhibitions. The recognition will also inform ongoing research between Huia Publishers and the University of Waikato, exploring how Indigenous publishing strengthens literacy, language revitalization, and cultural authority.

The achievement has also been welcomed by fellow Indigenous publisher Magabala Books in Australia, Melena Cole-Manolis, “Six titles in the inaugural IBBY–UNESCO Collection is not simply an achievement for one publisher—it is a testament to what becomes possible when Indigenous communities invest in their own languages, stories, and creators.”