Bulgarian authors have long been neglected in Bulgaria - publisher and translator Manol Peikov admitted to BNR some time ago. Until very recently, in fact, there was an established aesthetic in our country - that of illustration from Russian folk tales and the rather similar Hollywood 3D illustration. The other thing that was very much defining the genre was the prices - it was thought that if it was a children's book, it had to be extremely cheap. 

In the last decade, some smaller, enthusiast publishers have started to emerge and publish at the higher end of the children's book market," says Peikov. 

"The children's book is a special kind of beast," says publisher Dimitar Rikov, quoting musician Bruce Dickinson's autobiography. 

"It all depends on the approach. If you ask the former socialist countries, children's books should look one way, our colleagues from the West will have a different vision, for the USA the standards are even different, not to mention the Far East. That's the great thing about Bologna - the different trends in illustration come together, because - and there's no doubt about it - in children's books illustrations are the most important thing. Artists all over the world have their own points of view, which sometimes clash and sometimes dialogue. 

We Bulgarians are interested in a more classical, Slavic style of drawing, closer to the aesthetics of countries like Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Ukraine, countries from that region. These illustrations are somehow more understandable, they are closer to the heart of parents. Many of our Bulgarian artists work with foreign publishers".

"What should be the focus of children's book texts in the age of AI? Participants at this year's fair in Italy will discuss this topic. Children today are different from us at their age and seem to prefer more and more new and original stories about the world and everything in it. 

The market demands new encounters with new characters, because children are tired of the familiar old stories where the bad character eats the naughty one who is rescued by the good character. A fairy tale can be very entertaining and educational in a very unconventional way. Children are looking for such books.

The greatest power of a children's book is to bring children and parents together. Children will feel the moral in one way, and parents will find a completely different meaning in the story, but in the end the story will put a smile on the faces of young and old," says Dimitar Rikov.