Drawing the world _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

Dive into the world of picturebooks at Picture Me Festival. Opening the page in Wellington from the 11^th to the 19^th of September, this celebration of illustration for children and adults brings makers, events, talks, workshops, and an exhibition to Aotearoa.

At the heart of Picture Me Festival is the ability of children’s books to shape our identity and promote connection despite our differences.

“The festival events are shaped around the idea of picturebook as both window and mirror,” Gecko Press publisher-at-large Rachel Lawson says. “In a picturebook mirror, we see ourselves, where we fit, and who we sit with. Through a picturebook window, we see the world. It can look similar to our own or very different, but we almost always find that the people (animals, squares or triangles, pigeons or rocks) have hearts the same as ours.”

Joining Kiwi creatives for the festivities are European illustrators Aurore Petit from France, Antje Damm from Germany, and Piotr Socha from Poland. The cornerstone event will be Art Day at the National Library on the 14^th, which features free whānau-friendly workshops, read-alouds, and an illustration competition.

The winning artwork from the competition will join the professional works on display at Te Auaha from the 12^th to the 28^th of September for the Picture Me art show, where illustrators will be working live each day on a window painting.

Other offerings include events for adults exploring illustrating as an artform and career, masterclass workshops, two talks at Unity Books on the 12^th and 17^th, and Illustration and/as Translation, a panel discussion on the 18^th at Old Government Buildings.