China's growing presence in the world of publishing children's books is on display at the 52th Bologna Children's Book Fair that kicked off Monday.
A team of Chinese representatives is showcasing their work at the annual fair in the Italian northern city from March 30 to April 2.
On Monday, China's 21th Century Publishing Group was awarded "best publisher of the year for Asia."
China's representative group is formed of as many as 88 professionals, including authors, publishers and experts on promoting children's books.
The China Children's Press & Publication Group (CCPPG) said Chinese representatives plan to complete over 300 sales of copyright during this year's fair, twice as many as last year.
A total amount of 3,418 books will be presented at the fair, including originals.
"We have seen an explosion of China's presence in the children book's world, both from the qualitative and quantitative points of view," Elena Pasoli, project manager at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, told Xinhua.
"Chinese editors are very good at talent scouting not only in the East but also in the Western world," she said.
"When Brazilian illustrator Roger Mello won the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award -- one of the oldest and most prestigious international awards in children's literature -- a Chinese publishing house had already released his book," Pasoli noted.
She stressed how "innovative" China's editorial production is, with "smart ideas that are often avant-garde compared to Western counterparts."
"We have seen extraordinary Chinese books at our international bookstore, often rich with Chinese cultural elements but also in accordance with the imaginative contents of children's books from all over the world," Pasoli added.
The fair featured a forum about children's books in China and an exhibition of outstanding works from Chinese illustrators.
By the end of the fair, Chinese representatives will donate over 2,000 books to the International Library for Juveniles and Children and the Chinese school in Bologna.
Ranking among the most important international fairs for children's books, the Bologna Children's Book attracts publishers, copyrights agents, authors, illustrators for children's books, booksellers, distributors, librarians and printers from over 70 countries and regions all around the world.
