Vietnam attends Busan International Children's Book Fair for the first time

Kim Dong Publishing House will represent the Vietnam Publishing Association to attend the Busan International Children's Book Fair (BICBF) in Busan, South Korea from November 28 to December 1.

In this first edition, BICBF brings together 193 publishers and 118 writers and critics from all over the world.

The fantasy novel “Lam Bao - Origin of Ashes” was introduced at the Busan International Children's Book Fair. (Source: Kim Dong Publishing House)

Unlike international book fairs that focus on copyright exchanges, the Busan International Children's Book Fair is designed as a book festival with children at the center.

This year's theme is Laputa - the name of the magical island in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, a source of great inspiration for imagination and adventure.

During the Fair, there will be more than 150 programs, including book exhibitions, exchanges, seminars and interactive workshops, with the aim of engaging audiences of all ages through storytelling, combining unique artistic content.

Children will meet authors, listen to stories, participate in craft workshops...

BICBF is joined by contemporary Korean children's authors such as Lee Suzy, the first Korean illustrator to win the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award; Baek Hee-na, winner of the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award; Hwang Sun-mi, author of the beloved bestseller The Hen Who Broke Out of the Cage; and Hanna Cha , illustrator of The Truth About Dragons and winner of a 2024 Caldecott Honor.

The highlight of the fair is the main exhibition called “Laputa - Children in Verbs” displaying more than 400 books for children to freely view and flip through.

This exhibition emphasizes the importance of interacting with books, appealing to all the senses, said Kim Ji-eun, children's book critic and exhibition curator.

Additionally, during this period, book-themed programs and exhibitions are also held at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Hyundai Children's Book and Art Museum, and Busan Library.

The Korea Publishers Association (KPA), the event organizer and operator of the annual Seoul International Book Fair, expects the Busan International Children's Book Fair to be a "golden opportunity" to enhance the global status of Korean children's literature in particular and to foster exchanges among children's bookmakers in general.

“Books are the vehicles of dreams, the blueprints for new worlds… Children’s books from all over the world will converge here. This is a Laputa for children and adults, a place to share, enjoy and find ways to make dreams come true,” said the BICBF organizers.

The Vietnamese book booth gathers books from 5 publishers and book companies: Kim Dong Publishing House, Tre Publishing House, Women Publishing House, Nha Nam and Thai Ha Books.

More than 50 books were selected to be exhibited, demonstrating the richness of topics and genres of Vietnamese children's books.

Connecting with the theme of Laputa of the first Busan International Book Fair, Kim Dong Publishing House introduces the fantasy novel “Lam Bao - Origin of Ashes” with the participation of two authors Tung Phan and Chi Vu. This is also the latest book in the fantasy series of Kim Dong Publishing House.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/viet-nam-tham-du-hoi-cho-sach-thieu-nhi-quoc-te-busan-lan-dau-tien-295294.html