This spring I had the opportunity to attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair along with 12 graduate students and their instructor, ALSC Past President and former Butler Children’s Literature Center Curator Thom Barthelmess. As the current Curator, I was eager to not only travel with such fun, smart, and like-minded colleagues, but to learn what children’s literature looks like around the world, and how the world sees us these days. The upshot? They like our books. Our politics, not so much. While I was traveling on Dominican’s dime with support from the Butler Family Foundation, this trip also posed an opportunity for me, as ALSC Fiscal Officer, to learn firsthand about the impact, if any, of ALSC’s book and media awards internationally. The first thing I learned should have been obvious: In addition to the vast market at Bologna for buying and selling rights to translate books to and from…
Tag: Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Diversity Isn’t Lost in Translation at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
This past March I traveled to Bologna, Italy to attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair as part of a study abroad course offered through Dominican University. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is one of the largest international publishing events in the world. Many publishers visit the Fair in order to acquire publishing rights for international materials. It is also a great place to spot upcoming trends and attend informational seminars. It was amazing to see exhibits and participants from all over the world. This year 75 countries were represented at the Fair from Sweden to Colombia to Iran; visitors really got the sense that this is an event that is truly global in scope. It made me realize how the United States is just one small part of the international effort to promote literacy, cultural awareness and reading to young people throughout the world. Attending the Fair reinforced my passion…