Hungary?s status at the fair, the ?Frankfurt Book Fair of children?s books?, is a "great honour for the country," Bozóki said.
As guest of honour, Hungary will have its own special exhibition at the fair, entitled ?Hungary ? an open book: 30 illustrators 30 books?. The exhibition will explore several generations of illustrators through the work of 30 artists, each of whom is represented by about fifteen illustrations and an ?illustrated book model? made up of some of the selected works.
Hungarian author Ferenc Molnár (1878-1952), whose novel "The Pál Street Boys" is at least as successful in Italy as it is in Hungary, will be the "big name" attracting visitors, said writer Pál Békés, chairman of the Hungarian section of the International Board on Books for Young (IBBY).
Even though children's books make up 10 percent of the Hungarian publishing market, only 1 percent of all book reviews concern children's books, Békés noted. Hungary's guest of honour status at Europe's third-largest publishing industry event will hopefully have a positive impact on the approach to children's books in Hungary, he said.
Some 1,400 participants from 60 countries across the globe are expected to participate at the book fair.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
