The last booth Aline, Marjorie and I visited at the 2010 Bologna Book Fair belonged to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and what a way to end the fair!  We had an absolute blast visiting with the SCBWI members, some of whom we had corresponded with via email before but had never met in person: and we were in for a couple of surprises too.  SCBWI members not only share the same passion for children’s literature as we do at PaperTigers but in two cases share the same first name!  Here’s a special shout out about several of the SCBWI members who made us feel so welcome and took the time to share their work with us.

PaperTigers’ Marjorie (in green) with Marjorie van Heerden, co-Regional Advisor SCBWI South Africa.

Marjorie van Heerden has written and/or illustrated more than 100 children’s books and has been published in 33 languages in Africa, Europe, Canada and the USA.  In 2008 Marjorie won the M.E.R Award for best South African illustrated children’s book.

PaperTigers’ Corinne (in pink) with Corinne Fenton, Assistant Regional Adviser SCBWI Victoria, Australia.

Corinne Fenton’s classic award-winning picture book Queenie: One Elephant’s Story was followed in 2008 by The Dog on the Tuckerbox (shortlisted in the Younger Readers Category of the Australian Book Industry Awards and named a Notable Book in both the Picture Book and Eve Pownall Information Book categories of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards for 2009). Her latest book Flame Stands Waiting was released in March 2010.

Yoko Yoshizawa, Assistant Regional Advisor SCBWI Tokyo is a writer, translator, illustrator and printmaker. Her travels in Africa inspired her to collect animal proverbs and stories from all over the world. Yoko shared with me her passion for translating children’s stories from other countries into Japanese. Yoko’s branch of the SCBWI is hard at work planning  SCBWI Tokyo Translation Day 2010: Bringing Japanese Children’s Books to the World, to be held June 12th.

Peter Taylor, co-ordinator SCBWI Australia, Queensland.

Peter has been a science and art teacher, nature reserve warden and museum curator. He now devotes his time to writing and illustrating for children and adults, giving talks and workshops, and encouraging all to read, write and be creative.

We also met Irene Ying-Yu Chen, SCBWI Bologna Secretary and Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI Taiwan – though sadly we didn’t get a photo! Irene is a children’s literature critic in Taiwan. Read her article “Monkey King’s Journey to the West: Transmission of a Chinese Folktale to Anglophone Children”, published in the January issue of Bookbird.  Also, head over to Tarie Sabido’s blog  Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind to read her interview with Irene. In it, Tarie recommends the article, saying:

I found [the article] a fascinating introduction to and discussion of “Monkey King.” “Monkey King” is retold in English literature as a signifier of Chinese culture, but it can also bridge cultural gaps and stimulate cross-cultural literature for children. One of the “Monkey King” versions Irene analyzes is Gene Luen Yang‘s young adult graphic novel American Born Chinese.

Each month SCBWI regional chapters sponsor or organize events around the globe. Some of the events are included on our PaperTigers’ Calendar of Events, but you can check here to see the complete list.  If an event catches your eye, contact a Regional Advisor for more information. Whether you are already established in the children’s industry, just starting to enter the world of children’s book writing and illustrating, or simply have a passion for children’s literature, I’m sure you will find the same warm welcome that we received in Bologna.

Posted by: Corinne | This entry was posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 3:17 am and is filed under Eventful World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Tags: 2010 Bologna Children's Book Fair, Asia in the Heart World on the Mind, Corinne Fenton, Flame Stands Waiting, Irene Ying-Yu Chen, Marjorie van Heerden, Peter Taylor, Queenie: One Elephant's Story, SCBWI, SCBWI Australia and New Zealand, SCBWI South Africa, SCBWI Taiwan, SCBWI Tokyo, Tarie Sabido, The Dog on the Tuckerbox, Yoko Yoshizawa