we are all experts of our own experience: At the Book Fair

You can read and research and plan, but nothing can fully prepare you for the sheer excitement of being at the fair. The space itself is massive (and easy to get lost), and getting caught up in the excitement means sometimes abandoning a prepared schedule for what you find in the moment. Here's my attempt to summarize two very packed and impactful days to one post.

Books Published in Other Countries

Spending time browsing the books from other countries was genuinely a blast, and I wish I had given myself more time to do more of this! One big highlight was speaking with Nerah, a publisher from Armenia, who helped me translate some of their new releases. Some of my favorites included About the Owl and its Nest, Mur and the Blueberry, and As Big As the Clouds. She also gifted me a book of Armenian folktales after we began discussing preserving Armenian stories. In a very fun twist, she also taught me the Armenian alphabet!

Norway was this year's guest of honor, and I really enjoyed seeing their books on display! Lucy Can Do Everything was such a vibrant, fun read! The Sneak brought in natural elements of Norway, with a lot of blues and shadows reflecting how dark it is in the country. Block's Perfect Christmas! was heartwarming, and the illustrations had elements of "seek-and-find," with how detailed and busy each page was. The Bird Party was just darling, and I would love to find a print of that book for my house!

I unexpectedly came across the Astrid Lindgren Awards, where Jon Klassen was recognized. Most people are familiar with his books, such as I Want My Hat Back, and it was nice to see his work recognized for its humor and excellence. He ended his acceptance by saying, "This is incredible news. I’m so blown away. I can’t say what this means. You do this work by yourself and when it goes out to children and see the results it’s very moving and you’re never prepared for it. I have to hang up and cry for a few minutes."

During my last day in Bologna, I was able to go for a walk with a graphic designer, Izumi Suge, from Japan who has just won an award for her first children's book! She gifted me a copy of her book, Nora the Stray Cat (English translated title). It is just darling! Such a heartwarming story that explores the relationship between humans and animals.

Books Published by American Publishers

While the majority of my time was spent exploring other countries, I did attend a discussion with Jacqueline Woodson. It was an honor to be in her presence and consume her thoughts. She had a book signing, so I did purchase two of her books: The Day You Begin and The Year We Learned to Fly. Through her discussion, I learned so much about publishing! For example, I had no idea that authors and illustrators aren't allowed to communicate directly. They instead must go through the editors to send feedback. Authors also do not get to choose their illustrators. They pitch the story to the publishers, and the publisher will choose the illustrator. Due to Woodson's genius, she is one of few authors that has been granted the ability to choose her illustrators!

Size/Scope/Energy/Dynamic/Attitude

People in children's literature are a lively bunch! Coming down to the hotel lobby on day one to get my shuttle, I was greeted by a group of ~15 women from all over the world. Within minutes, we were all sharing where we were from, how we are involved in the industry, and what we were looking forward to. That energy only increased once I got to the fair! The building is massive and feels like a maze, meaning people are running all over the place! Upon entering, you are greeted by a huge mural of children's illustrator's work being displayed. Everywhere you look, people are having engaging conversations. It is loud in there, and the energy is infectious.

According to Elena Pasoli, the director of the Book Fair, there were over 30,000 attendees from over 100 countries! While she did mention that this was a slight dip over previous years, due to global political unrest, it was still an overwhelmingly positive attitude throughout. The attitude was collaborative. So many of us are facing similar challenges, such as book banning, and it felt motivating to share ideas as a group.

Events Attended

This is my final list of events I ended up attending, and one quick takeaway from each:

-Welcome Event What if something truly magical is about to happen?

-In Their Shoes: Children's Literature as a Gateway to Belonging Libraries need to look at their policies to "future proof" book ban attempts. Future proofing matters now because of how quickly these challenges happen.

-Across Cultures, Through Stories: The Universal Power of Fairy Tales An educated population leads to a successful democracy.

-Hans Christian Andersen Award

-Building the Future Generation of Readers: Best Practices and Policies for Reading Promotion We all (government, tech, etc.) need to work together to collectively tackle the crisis in reading.

-Big Feelings, Brave Books Children are used to being in a world that doesn't make sense, and they have to figure it out. Books that tell children the truth are acknowledging their bravery.

-How to Inspire Children to Read - Transforming Research Into Action Children rarely become readers on their own, so the path starts with inspiring the adults.

-Teens Turning Pages: Challenges, Strategies, and Success Stories 25% of teen readers don't meet the required reading level. They can often read the words but don't have the ability to understand what they've read.

-Stories That Change Us: Gender Equality Through Children's Literature Boys are being in reading an average of one year which affects what stories are published and translated.

-Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

-The Global Majority and the Future of International Children's Publishing Tell your story as specific as possible, and people will relate to it.

Surprise & Impact

Living in the US, we are bombarded with news stories about more books being banned and the decline in literacy levels. We are truly living through a literacy crisis. Before coming to the fair, I anticipated being unique in this challenge. I expected other countries to look down on us for what our government is doing. It was surprising (and sad!) to see that this is happening all over the world! Conversations need to be happening globally, as each country has fantastic ideas on how to combat this. I left feeling inspired and capable of making a change for the better.

Every November, Italy encourages their citizens to donate a book to a school library. This engages families to visit bookstores and browse books of their interest, which in turn piques an interest in reading. The increase in available material at the libraries also allows the schools to implement reading activities and workshops. The donated books allows room in the school budget to be reallocated towards literacy tools. I have already discussed this idea with the principal of my son's school, and I hope to implement something similar in our district!

The French Ministry of Culture boiled the literacy crisis down to 3 actionable steps, which I plan to keep top of mind:

1. Make reading desirable

2. Make reading accessible in each time of children's day to day life

3. Have adults cooperate better to ensure reading is part of all children's lives

Teach children how powerful their stories are. Let them discover the power of their own voices.