The Bologna Children’s Book fair is set to begin Tuesday, March 23rd in Bologna, Italy.  As all of us children and young adult lit fans know, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the most important international event dedicated to children’s publishing.  2010 will be the 47^th edition of the fair and is expected to be a great one: over 20,000 square meters of exhibition space have been booked,  over 1,200 exhibitors from over 60 countries are confirmed, and  a jam-packed programme of events has been released. A small sampling of the highlights:

The 2010 Guest of Honor at the Illustrators Exhibition will be Slovakia, presenting a selected exhibition of it’s best illustrators. A cultural programme featuring Slovakia will be taking place at various locations throughout Bologna during the fair.

Bologna Children’s Book Fair – SM Foundation International Award for Illustration. This winner of this  new award, reserved to young illustrators (under 35) selected for the 2010 Illustrators Exhibition, will be announced on March 25.

Illustrators Exhibition. Once again, a wealth of works by illustrators (well-known professionals and emerging talents) will  be on display. The 2010 international jury has selected 87 artists for the 2010 Exhibition from 2,456 candidates from 58 countries.

BolognaRagazzi Awards 2010. Check out Marj’s recent post on these awards.

Authors Cafe. A new feature for 2010, the Authors Cafe is the place to be to meet authors and talk books. Discussions will include: prospects for the literary scene, reading experiences in troubled areas, and debuting authors in Bologna.  To meet illustrators and get involved in their discussions, head on over to the Illustrators Cafe.

The Astrid Lindgren Award announcement will be broadcast live to Bologna from Sweden on March 24th. This is especially exciting for us as  PaperTigers was invited to submit nominations for the award!

Also exciting for us is that three members from our team will be in attendance at this year’s Fair: Aline, Marj and myself.  If you are going to be there too let us know as we would love to meet up with you. If you can’t be there, keep an eye here on our PaperTigers’ blog as we will be posting regularly to share some of our highlights with you! We’ll also be uploading  our photos to this Flikr account.

Nicholas Clee of Publishers Weekly reports:

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair has yielded to protests and reinstated the fourth day of the event. The 2010 fair will now take place from Tuesday to Friday, March 23–26.

Click here to read the article.

Following on from Corinne’s post about the Bologna Book Fair, I recently asked poet Jorge Luján if he would share some of his impressions with us, since I knew that his most recent book, Barca de papel, illustrated by Julia Fries was to be featured in one of the exhibitions – I should have guessed that he would have a charming adventure to tell us about, that makes me wish I’d been there!

I found the Fair very rich as always – maybe a bit calmer than other years because of the economic crisis, but anyhow with interesting new books like the award-winning Robinson Crusoe, published by Media Vaca [BolognaRagazzi Fiction Award] and El contador de cuentos, published by Ekaré [BolognaRagazzi New Horizons Award]. The strong, colorful presence of Korea was also notable as the invited country. I very much enjoyed Yanni Kim’s images for The Donkey Girl (a winner of the CJ Award for Illustration).

Talking about my personal experience, I had an unexpected and magical encounter at one art gallery down town Bologna. I was at the inauguration of an illustration exhibition when a sparkling five-year-old girl appeared out of nothing and asked me: “Tu sei… il poeta?” (Are you… the poet?) I said “Hum… yes” with a smile and began to walk out with a young couple who had just invited me to have an ice-cream with them. Immediately, the little girl (who I was soon to discover was the daughter of the young couple) started to run through the crowded rooms of the exhibition shouting over and over again: “Il poeta viene a mangiare gelati con noi!!” (The poet is coming to have an ice cream with us!!)

Later on, she confessed to me: “Io sono la Principessa dei Gelati,” (I’m the Princess of Ice Cream…). That night I composed a poem for her, and the next evening I was invited to write it in big letters next to the illustrations of Barco de papel, my last album with images by the young artist Julia Friese, which were being shown at the beautiful Sala Borsa, next to the Piazza Maggiore.

If you click on the thumbnails, you’ll be able to read the writing, including both poems on the much larger images…

Thank you so much, Jorge, both for sharing your experiences with us – especially this delightful story of La Principessa – and for the wonderful photos. For those of us who couldn’t be there, they certainly are the next best thing. Imagine being at that exhibition and walking by as the author of the books you are looking at happens to be writing out a poem he has just spontaneously composed!

Barco de papel (Paper Boat) was published last December by FCE and is due to come out soon in German as Papierschiff ahoi! We’ll certainly let you know of any English translations.

I must just also add that not one but two of Jorge’s recent books were shortlisted for a CJ Award for New Publications: Colors! ¡Colores! (also selected for the White Ravens 2009 Catalogue) and Winter Afternoon (and if you haven’t watched the animated version of this gorgeous book, watch it NOW!).

This week’s Poetry Friday is hosted by Anastasia Suen at Picture Book of the Day (and she’s highlighting a gorgeous-looking book I heard about recently and haven’t got my hands on yet…)

The 2009 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which had Korea as its Guest of Honor, is over, but a couple of virtual stops can give you a feel for what happened there.

Start by visiting Craig Virden’s Bologna 2009: A Photo Essay. A Publishers Weekly writer, Craig is a veteran attendee of the Bologna Fair and has teamed up with photographer Mario Ventimiglia on this essay, which was posted to PW’s Bologna by Day and Night blog.

For details about the role Korea played as Guest of Honor and the wide range of cultural events showcasing its art and culture, take a look at the special website put together by the Korean Publishers Association website. The Illustrators Exhibition section showcases the artwork of the 31 Korean illustrators whose work were selected, from thousands of entries, to be displayed at the fair. The image featured here is one of the select works: the book cover of My Cat Copies Me, by artist and author Yoon-duck Kwan (the lovely image reminds me of our Around the World in 100 Bookshelves project!). The website also includes information and statistics on the current state of the Korean publishing market, in general, and the children’s publishing sector in particular. It’s interesting to note, for instance, that children’s books accounted for 20% of all new books published in 2008 in Korea, and that over the past 10 years there has been a huge increase in the popularity of educational books, specifically the educational comic book genre, over picture books and story books.

Now that you’ve had a taste of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and its guest of honor, be sure to read PaperTigers current issue, where we pay tribute to the narratives for children, available in English, from/about Korea and the Korean diaspora.

(Click on event name for more information)

National Poetry Month~ Canada and USA

Growing Up Asian in America Art and Essay Contest Winners Announced~ San Francisco, CA, USA

Exclusive Books Children’s Book Festival~ ongoing until Apr 4, South Africa

Toronto Festival of Storytelling~ongoing until Apr 5, Toronto, ON, Canada

7th Bangkok International Book Fair & 37th National Book Fair~ ongoing until Apr 6, Bangkok, Thailand

20th Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 18, Hayward, CA, USA

Bologna Children’s Book Fair Events in the City~ ongoing until April 30, Bologna, Italy

Discovering Ethnic Minorities – Storytelling Workshops for Children~ ongoing until May 31, Hong Kong

Exhibition of Prize Winning Works of 16th Noma Concours (2008) “Palette of Dream Colours IV”~ ongoing until Jul 5, Tokyo, Japan

Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival~ Apr 1 – 3, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

Ethiopian Children’s Book Week~ Apr 1 – 7, Ethiopia

International Children’s Book Day~ Apr 2

Desi Teens and Muslim Migration: Personal Journeys from the Asian Diaspora~ Apr 2, New York, NY, USA

25th Annual Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults~ Apr 2 – 3, Kent, OH, USA

Conference: What’s New in Children’s Books~ Apr 4, Boston, MA, USA

Young Poets Week~ Apr 6 – 12, Canada

Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival: Read Green~ Apr 15 – 16, Salisbury, MD, USA

National Library Week: Worlds connect @ Your Library~ Apr 12 – 18, USA

15th Annual Border Book Festival~ Apr 17 – 19, Mesilla, NM, USA

Beatrix Potter Conference~ Apr 17 – 19, Fresno, CA, USA

15th Celebration of Children’s Literature~ Apr 18, Berkeley, CA, USA

Congreso Iberoamericano de Libreros~ Apr 18 – 20, Buenos Aires, Argentina

BC Book and Magazine Week~ Apr 18 – 25, Province of British Columbia, Canada

London Book Fair~ Apr 20 – 22, London, United Kingdom

Global Action Week: Open Books, Open Doors~ Apr 20 – 26

Camara Chilena del Libro Book Fair~ Apr 21 – 28, Santiago, Chile

Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival and Children’s Festival~ Apr 22 – 26, Montreal, QC, Canada

World Book and Copyright Day~ Apr 23

Cambridge WordFest~ Apr 23 – 26, Cambridge, United Kingdom

35th Buenos Aires International Book Fair~ Apr 23 – May 11, Buenos Aires, Argentina

27th Annual Spring Festival of Children’s Literature~ Apr 24 – 25, Frostburg, MD, USA

Celebration of Latino Children’s Literature~ Apr 24 – 25, Columbia, SC, USA

SCBWI New England’s Annual Conference: Many Voices~ Apr 24 – 26, Nashua, NH, USA

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books~ Apr 25 – 26, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Lecture: The Reconfiguration of Children and Children’s Literature in a Globalized World~ Apr 27, Drumcondra, Ireland

5th Annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature~ Apr 27 – May 3, New York, NY, USA

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winners Announced~ Apr 28, New York, NY, USA

The Voyage of the Reader: Using Children’s Books to Create a Love of Reading~ Apr 29, New York, NY, USA

El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros~ Apr 30, USA

Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award Winner Announced~ Apr 30, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Ezra Jack Keats Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature Ceremony~ Apr 30, New York, NY, USA

The internet is a truly fabulous thing for those of us that couldn’t be at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair this year. Since Monday, I have been enjoying it vicariously by reading blog posts, press releases, twitter messages and looking at images from the fair. I let out a big cheer when I watched the live video feed announcing that The Tamer Institute for Community Education was the winner of the 2009 Astrid Lindgren Award, and I have been truly taken away by the sheer talent of this year’s BolognaRagazzi Award winners.

Unfortunately, the impact of the downturn in worldwide economies is being felt in Bologna. Jean Feiwel, Senior VP at Macmillan Publishing, is quoted at saying “I knew attendance was down when I walked right into the ladies’ room”, but at the Publishers Weekly’s blog, Craig Virden says “There seems to be very little panic talk. US editors are the big no-shows, but it’s my impression that most folks just consider this prudence.”

Award winning cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Doug Cushman kindly sent us his candid impressions of attending the fair:

The first day was light in terms of attendance—not that unusual, though, when it comes to first day. The booths are smaller this year, and many are half the size they used to be. There were some obvious empty floor spaces that had been filled by booths in previous years.

The folks I talked to still seemed very upbeat and positive, though. Even if publishers seem to be reducing the number of books they publish, they are still buying rights and making deals—just being a little more selective about them.

On Tuesday there seemed to be more traffic, although the floor still didn’t seem as crowded as in previous fairs. Most publishers have only “skeleton crews” (one major editor/president to represent all. No one from Scholastic USA was there, for instance, just from the UK). But, still, the atmosphere is positive and deals are still being made (Asia seems to be buying a lot). I think, in spite of the economy’s challenges, there are opportunities out there for all kinds of books and projects.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the world’s leading children’s publishing event, begins this Monday, March 23rd. Of course there are many highlights to the fair but perhaps none more prominent than the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition. This exhibition truly defines the book fair and offers an exceptional display of children’s book illustrations which have been selected by an international jury composed of publishers, artists and museum directors. “Combined with the many illustrators who visit the Fair to show their latest portfolios to publishers, the Exhibition has become the single most important source of information about contemporary illustrators and provides an international overview of the most innovative trends”.

Each year a different country is chosen as the Illustrators Exhibition’s Guest of Honour. This year’s Guest of Honor, Korea, will showcase its literature, history and tradition through the Illustrators Exhibition as well as through a wide range of cultural programs to be held in the city centre in a framework of events extending far beyond the four days of the Fair.

Reporter Chung Ah-young of The Korea Times reports:

According to the KPA, Korea’s book market ranks among the 10th largest in the world, with over 40,000 new titles published each year. Among them, children’s books make up about 19 percent of the market, which reflects not only the high enthusiasm that Korean parents have for their children’s education but also the efforts of highly imaginative and innovative bookmakers and writers.

The Guest of Honor programs will feature Korean children’s books and illustrators and the exhibition of their original paintings.

More than any other trade show, the fair is expected to play an important role in the emergence of Korean children’s books, as visitors to the Korean events will discover the fascinating roots of the stories and images found in Korean children’s books, which remain less recognizable in Europe.

Be sure to check out our new issue of PaperTigers on April 1st when we will be focusing on Korea.

Spring is in the air which means it’s time for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair – the world’s leading publishing fair covering all genres for infants, children and young adults. This year’s fair, the 46th edition, will take place at the Bologna Exhibition Centre from March 23rd to 26th and will feature: 1300 exhibitors, 20,0000 square metres, 69 countries, 55 languages and over 4,800 foreign visitors. The exhibitors will include publishers, literary agents, packagers, printers, international organizations, TV and film producers, licensor and licensees, and service companies linked to the publishing world.

Along with the the exhibition of worldwide children’s publishing and fabulous Programme of Events, highlights will include:

The Bologna Illustrators Exhibition – an exceptional display of children’s book illustrations, selected by an international jury. The 2009 Guest of Honour of the Illustrators Exhibition will be Korea, a country with strong traditions in illustration, cartoons, and design. A special exhibit entitled “Round and Round in a Circle” will showcase the literature, history and customs of Korea through illustrations.

A special “show-in-show” dedicated to Roberto Innocenti, winner of the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Prize for Illustration.

The Illustrators’ Cafe – the ideal place to meet illustrators, authors, and publishers, discuss the latest developments, talk about everything related to illustration and attend special events. This is the place to be on March 24th when the announcement ofThe Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature will be broadcast live from Vimmerby, Sweden.

BolognaRagazzi Award – one of the most coveted prizes in children’s publishing, this award is reserved for books with outstanding graphic and editorial design.

TV/Film & Licensing Centre, The Literary Agents Centre, and the World Directory of Children’s Book Translators and Translators Centre

Last year two members of our PaperTigers team, Aline and Marjorie, were thrilled to be able to attend the fair and shared their experiences on our blog. Unfortunately this year no one from the PT team will be able to attend, but we want to know everything that is happening there! So this is our shout-out to those of you that will be attending. Will you be blogging about the event, twittering or facebooking? Loading up photos, emailing? Let us know!

(Click on event name for more information)

The Art of Picture Books Exhibition~ ongoing until Mar 27, Bristol, United Kingdom

20th Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 18, Hayward, CA, USA

Read Across America Day~ Mar 2, USA

Words on Wheels~ Mar 2 – 7, New Zealand

Papirolas Festival for Children and Youth~ Mar 3 – 8, Guadalajara, Mexico

World Book Day~ Mar 5, United Kingdom and Ireland

Growing Up Asian in America Art and Essay Contest~ entry deadline Mar 5, San Francisco, CA, USA

40th Annual Conference on Children’s Literature~ Mar 6 – 7, Athens, GA, USA

Asilomar Regional Reading Conference: Fired Up for Literacy~ Mar 6 – 8, Pacific Grove, CA, USA

Shanghai International Literary Festival~ Mar 6 -22, Shanghai, China

Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)Choices Day and Charlotte Zolotow Award Event~ Mar 7, Madison, WI, USA

Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival~ Mar 8 – 18, Hong Kong

ALA’s Teen Tech Week~ Mar 8 – 14, USA

Share a Story – Shape a Future, A Blog Tour for Literacy~ Mar 9

12th Time of the Writer International Writers Festival~ Mar 9 – 14, Durban, South Africa

Rhinelander Children’s Book Fest~ Mar 10 -11, Rhinelander, WI, USA

Annual SCBWI (SA) Publishers Show & Tell Day~ Mar 11, Cape Town, South Africa

19th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair~ Mar 12 – 22, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Children’s Books in Asia, Africa and Latin America Symposium~ Mar 13, Tokyo, Japan

13th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 13 – 14, Redlands, CA, USA

Salon du Livre Paris~ Mar 13 – 18, Paris, France

41st Annual Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 15 – 17, Warrensburg, MO, USA

Exhibition of Prize Winning Works of 16th Noma Concours (2008) “Palette of Dream Colours IV”~ Mar 15 – Jul 5, Tokyo, Japan

Somerset Celebration of Literature~ Mar 16 – 20, Mudgeeraba, Australia

World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20

Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia

World Poetry Day~ Mar 21

Bologna Children’s Book Fair~ Mar 23 – 26, Bologna, Italy

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winners Announced~ Mar 24, Vimmerby, Sweden

All-Saints College Festival of Young Adult and Children’s Literature~ Mar 25 – 27, Bull Creek, Australia

7th Bangkok International Book Fair & 37th National Book Fair~ Mar 26 – Apr 6, Bangkok, Thailand

Oxford Children’s Literature and Youth Culture Colloquium Presents an International Conference: Place and Space in Children’s Literature~ Mar 27 – 28, Oxford, United Kingdom

Children’s Literature Council Spring Workshop: I Can Read It by Myself…But Do I Want To? Inspiring Emergent Readers~ Mar 28, Glendale, CA, USA

Margaret Mahy Day~ Mar 28, New Zealand

Reading the World: A Conference Celebrating Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults~ Mar 28 – 29, San Francisco, CA, USA

Norman Lindsay Festival of Children’s Literature~ Mar 28 – 29, Faulconbridge, Australia

Childhood in its Time Conference: The Child in British Literature~ Mar 28 – 29, Canterbury, United Kingdom

Latino Book & Family Festival~ Mar 28 – 29, Chicago, IL, USA