Book fair looks at future through children’s eyes

Agence France-Presse

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Germany, a country that still clings to the printed book, decides to accept that digital books — even for kids — are slowly coming in

'RETHINK. RENEW.' IS THE theme of this year's Frankfurt Book Fair that will run from October 10-14. Image from the Frankfurt Book Fair Facebook page

BERLIN, Germany – The Frankfurt Book Fair will spotlight child and youth literature and its role in the publishing world with playful apps for smartphones and tablet computers as well as interactive games.

The media world of children and youngsters breaks new ground for publishers in the digital age by pushing boundaries far beyond the printed book, say organizers of the world’s biggest book fair that opens Wednesday.

Electronics giants Sony and Nintendo will be among about 7,400 exhibitors at the 5-day fair, reflecting innovations in an industry where “content is king,” the fair’s director, Juergen Boos, told AFP.

“Children’s (literature) and youth media reflect what is happening in the publishing industry as well as what is currently happening socially.”  

Sony will showcase its new Wonderbook device that — under the guise of a classic book — links up to a PlayStation console to display 3D images onscreen for its young users.

Industry movers and shakers will ponder on whether new technology limits the imagination or encourages it to expand, as well as home in on what trends may evolve into universal standards.

“In order to keep up with the changing reading and learning habits of future generations, we need to constantly create new formats and develop and expand popular topics and trends,” Boos said.

He added that around 1,500 publishers who deal exclusively with the children and youth markets are due to attend the Frankfurt fair, recognizing the sector as a growth area.

The fair not only acts as a kind of “scout” and “navigation system” but also as a forum for bringing together different multimedia representatives to get a project off the ground, said Katja Boehne, the fair’s spokeswoman.

“When someone has a children’s book, they look for musicians, they look for technology companies, they also look for computer game experts and then together a children’s book is initiated,” she said.

Dealing with the development of offshoot products from a book has become a trend at the Frankfurt event, she added.

Technological innovation, however, is not the only way in which children’s literature has changed, with content moving away from being either “moral” in style or purely entertaining.

Education is another major theme at this year’s fair. A ‘classroom of the future’ will be displayed, offering an insight into how tomorrow’s students will learn with interactive or digital aids.

While the book fair has long come to terms with the advent of electronic books and what they mean for their bound rivals, the share of ebooks in the entertainment literature market in Germany remains less than two percent.

“It does not have anything to do with the range, the ebooks are there… it’s more a social phenomenon,” Boos said of a general attachment in Europe to the physical presence of the printed book as well as its value as a cultural object.

New Zealand will be this year’s guest of honor, bringing around 68 authors and 100 artists to mix with the publishers, writers, agents and sellers from more than 100 countries.

With several debt-wracked eurozone countries feeling the pinch, Boehne has been pleasantly surprised that attendance figures have remained steady and saw it as a “symptom of the crisis” that made exhibitors feel the need to keep in touch with business partners. – Kate Millar, Agence France-Presse

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