Ah, Bologna, everyone's favorite bookfair! Is it the good food, the civilized pace, or the fact that walking along halls stacked with colorful books from all over the world somehow always cheers people up, even when the weather is very grey like this year?
The fair is growing and becoming more and more important for the big players, but is also welcoming and nurturing towards new and smaller realities, like the following...

Korea was definitively the protagonist from Asia, with a big collective stand and several smaller booths. I was impressed by publisher Hollym and its dual language titles, with original illustrations and good stories. There are traditional tales from the rich folklore of Korea, like Long Long Time Ago: Korean Folk Tales (illustrated by Dong-sung Kim), and Sun & Moon: Fairy Tales from Korea (adapted by Kathleen Seros, illustrated by Norman Sibley & Robert Krause), but also contemporary stories, like Soon-Hee in America, by Schi-Zhin Rhie, beautifully told through black and white photos, or Let's Visit Korea, by Suzanne Crowder Han, illustrated by Kim Mi-on, that follows two foreign children in their visit through the country. Many Hollym books are available in the USA and from the publisher's website.

Already a hit in the US, Yellow Umbrella (published in Korea by Jaimimage, internationally by Kane-Miller), by Jae-soo Liu, is a book without words - the story is told by images and an accompanying cd of piano music composed by Dong-il Sheen. Brilliant!

Those who read Korean will enjoy the books published by Green Boat Magic, and A Childhood in the Countryside in particular. Author and illustrator Cho Jae Young reminisces about her childhood, when she moved to a rural area of Korea and was introduced to the secret world of the countryside by her new schoolmates. The illustrations are very poetic, and her style a highly original mixture of bold brush strokes and minute details.

Japan was a star as always, especially as far as illustrations are concerned (if I spoke Japanese, I might have a different story here!) My favorites: The Mouse Vest by Yoshio Nakae (Poplar Publishing), which proves that minimalism can work wonders in children's book illustrations. Blue Sky, Blue Water, by Masakatsu Shimoda (Komine Shoten) is illustrated with such amazing colors that one wants to frame each page! The Tree Festival, by Nankichi Niimi (Nikken Publishers) is pure poetry in the form of drawings. On the fun side, I'm not a Goblin, by Iwao Fukuoda, seemed like a hilarious story about a little boy who's very scared of the dentist - everybody knows that it's dentists who are goblins! The artwork of illustrator Chihiro Iwasaki is always beautiful: several of the books she illustrated are available internationally through Kodansha, McGraw-Hill, Simon& Schuster and others, and you can visit the cyber museum dedicated to her work.

Chinese publishers were present in respectable numbers, and they're getting better at introducing their books to foreigners, although the language barrier is still hard to overcome (but it was very amusing to see Dr. Seuss speaking Chinese!). Those interested in overcoming it could use Hope Publishing great series of bilingual Chinese classics, with original illustrations and good translations. A very popular character in picture books is Xiaolaoshu Ding Ding (little mouse Ding Ding), published by Datouerzixiaoshujia. The illustrations are not terribly original, but the adventures of the little mouse are quite funny and engaging. Among the books exhibited in Bologna, there didn't seem to be much original artwork, but a catalogue of Selected Works of Illustrations from China Juvenile and Children's Books told another story altogether... A pity their work doesn't circulate much beyond China's borders!

As for other Asian countries present in Bologna, Malaysia had several booths. Although for the time being its children's book industry seems more concentrated on book production and printing, it's also developing an interesting local output. Among the publishers to keep an eye on, I'd highlight Pelangi, which publishes books in Malay and in English, and is doing a series on Malay traditional stories - a refreshing change from so many retellings of Cinderella and Snow White.

Taiwan had a quieter presence at the fair compared to previous years, but there are still many good things being produced there. I look forward to the new book by author / illustrator Yung-Yen Tsui, out in August for Crown Culture Corporation, which is about a little girl who decides to fix the world with her welding - a little bird falls from its nest and is welded back to it, so it won't fall again; a dog chases its tail and has it welded to its mouth, so he won't have to chase it again… an over-the-top, hilarious story, with great illustrations. It would be an excellent addition to the catalogs of American or British publishers… Grimm Press has great illustrators and beautifully produced books. We hope they'll soon go beyond retelling the traditional canon and start doing original stories because they show some great potential.

As for India, I have the impression that there are a few small, young publishers who are ready to bring Indian children's books to the attention of the world, just as the country's adult books have been pouring out of the subcontinent for years. Among the publishers that do books in English, Tara Books is one of the finest examples, and their amazingly produced books are beginning to be distributed in the UK and in the USA. Among my favorites, Tiger on a Tree (by Anoushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Pulal Biswas), Hen Sparrow Turns Purple (Gita Wolf, again illustrated by Pulal Biswas) which is designed as a scroll and can be hung on a wall, and Excuse Me, Is This India? (Anouschka Ravishankar, with textile art by Anita Leutwiler)

So now, tell the truth: don't you feel like signing up for an evening course of Korean, Hindi, or Malay, to be able to read all these treasures?