Kids turn the page for fun and adventure
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, August 22, 2012
"The entire publishing market in China has been growing fast, and demand for children's books are increasing even faster. It is only natural because the government has been promoting quality education for years, which incidentally requires more children's literature for kids to read after class," Bai Bing, editor-in-chief of children's publishing house Jie Li, tells Shanghai Daily.
"The purchasing power of Chinese people has increased greatly and so has their spending on education. Chinese parents are always willing to spend on education. Publishers like us have also self-taught to be more market-oriented to provide children with more options," Bai adds.
Options have expanded exponentially from past decades, but it is still not enough compared with the size of the market.
Trevor Lai, a Chinese Canadian writer and illustrator, has published many children's books in Canada and has now moved to China. His most recent illustration book, "Piggy in Love," is bilingual and for all ages. In Lai's books, the characters often have to solve problems using creativity and imagination, which is what he encourages kids to do.
"I see the opportunity. China is really at the beginning of developing its own creativity. Chinese audiences are very interested in funny and creative things, but there is just not enough domestic supply for them," he says.
"Kids worldwide are the same. They want to be inspired, to have a good laugh and to have fun. Chinese kids are not different, except the amount of exposure they have to the opportunity is limited. But that is changing."
Some children are also writing their own stories, such as 16-year-old Zhu Shengling, whose book about her one-year exchange experience in France was recently published at the Shanghai Book Fair. She also attended a book autographing session.
99 Readers' editor Shang agrees that Chinese children now have rather international tastes. They love animals, adventures, picture books and fantasies, although localization is still needed in some cases. He gives the example of a French series that touched upon the subject of how a child is born.
"The French are very straight-forward about this even with kids, but we have to make it milder for Chinese kids and parents," he says.
(Calum Anderson and Qu Zhi contributed to this story.)
Some best-selling children's books in China
Mo's Mischief
Author: Yang Hongying
The series has been established by Yang, former teacher and children's magazine editor, one of the most successful children's writers in China. Featuring a naughty pupil Ma Xiaotiao, Yang uses Ma's hilarious voice to explore the imaginative and unique world of children.
Kira and a Dog named Money
Author: Bodo Schafer
A South Korean illustrator has turned the German economics writer's finance book into fun reading for children to learn about the value of money and the significance of investment.
How Things Work (100,000 Whys)
The classic series is intended to explain difficult military, physics, chemistry, biology and history questions to little children in a fun way with illustrations.
Specialized children's bookstores
Dandelion Children's Bookstore
Address: 189 Qingtong Rd
Hours: 10:30am-8:30pm
Tel: 5855-5385
Poplar Picture Book Store
Address: 262 Yuyuan Rd
Hours: 10am-8pm
Tel: 6248-9033
Bookstore affiliated with Juvenile & Children's Publishing House
Address: 1538 Yan'an Rd W.Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Tel: 6282-6548
Shanghai Children's Library
Address: 962 Nanjing Rd W.
Hours: 9am-5pm
Tel: 6217-7029
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