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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JULY 2022 4 BOOKS National Book Council unveils official poster for the 2022 Malta Book Festival The National Book Council has unveiled its official poster for the 2022 Malta Book Festival putting the spotlight on illustrators and graphic designers THE National Book Council has unveiled its official poster for the 2022 Malta Book Festi- val, taking place from the 23 to the 27 of November at the Mal- ta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC), Ta' Qali. "This year's poster is illustrat- ed and designed by children's author and illustrator Gattaldo around a theme that dates back to the cave dweller - visual sto- rytelling. The festival poster tells a story through images arranged sequentially, like in a silent com- ic," the book council said. The NBC said that an encoun- ter with a book engages the pro- tagonist and gives them a new perspective where they can re- late to the story and become it. "Drawings and paintings pre- date the written word by millen- nia. Books are more commonly associated with words through- out our lives, yet the first books we encounter as children are pictures." The 2022 Malta Book Festival poster is an ode to the pictures and illustrations that enrich books throughout our reading lives, from alluring images on the front covers persuading us to lose ourselves in the stories within to the genres that have made visual storytelling a liter- ary art. The spotlight on the role of il- lustrators and graphic designers forms part of NBC's renewed commitment to creating syner- gies with several entities to draw up new initiatives for the benefit of all publishing industry stake- holders. Among other initiatives, semi- nars and keynotes of many pub- lishing professions, the festival will feature a 'from illustration to book' exhibition, created in collaboration with Arts Council Malta and MCAST and taking place at the MFCC for the dura- tion of the festival. Gattaldo has worked in Art Di- rection in advertising and pho- tography throughout Europe. He currently lives in London, and his work was published in the UK and the US. Midsea Books will publish the Mal- tese-language version of his children's book Fearless at the end of 2022. A guest at the Fes- tival, Gattaldo will engage with the public in several events with children and publishing stake- holders alike. Returning to the MFCC, the festival will be boasting a record number of more than 50 exhib- itors. Over 8,000 square metres of space is being dedicated to exhibition areas for publishers, booksellers and NGOs, and ac- tivity areas for the numerous book presentations and discus- sions while providing visitors with full accessibility and has- sle-free parking.