We’ve heard it said often enough, children aren’t reading books any more. They’re listening to music on mp3, or sending cell phone sms’s, or watching tv. So how does this affect the children's book industry? Le Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse, the French Children’s Book Fair, provided an occasion to find out. The Book Fair took place in the Paris suburb of Montreuil at the end of November. With over 150,000 visitors it’s the biggest event of its kind in Europe. From pre-schoolers perusing glossy picture books to teenagers seeking the latest tome in their favourite series, the aisles and exhibitors stands of the Book Fair were full of curious youngsters, with adults often looking on with just-as-eager interest.
Indeed, the frontier between children’s and adult literature is nowadays not so clearcut. When popular books lead to popular films (e.g. Harry Potter, Twilight, Les Enfants Baudélaire, Astérix, Eragon, Le Petit Nicolas….) their success galvanizes children into reading other titles in the series and similar books in the genre.If the children’s book market is flourishing it’s also because public authorities in France do much to promote reading, by supporting the industry and literary events such as this one.
So do parents worry that internet will replace the time kids spend reading? Despite competition from internet, tv and video games, and in a difficult economic climate, a trip to the Children’s Book Fair revealed that in France today children’s literature is alive and well.
No comments:
Post a Comment