Think the Earth

目次へ移動 Bologna Children's Book Fair

This is the venue entrance. Flags from all around the world welcome the visitors. When purchasing an entry ticket, visitors are asked to present their business cards and to also state the purpose of their visit.

The "Bologna Children's Book Fair"is a very large international children's book fair held annually in Bologna, Italy. Every year, a great number of people from all around the world involved in publishing of children's books and the multimedia industry from authors, illustrators, publishers, distributors, people involved in copyrights and patents, mass media, to librarians come to the event. First held in 1964, the Bologna Children's Book Fair (held from March 23rd to 26th this year), which marked its 47th anniversary this year, attracted over 1,200 exhibitors from 67 countries and more than 4,760 visitors.

The booth of Corraini srl, known for having published many of Bruno Munari's works, is crowded with visitors. At this year's book fair, it boasted the greatest number of books on display.

The exhibition serves as a showcase for publishers and a place where they can buy or sell rights, as well as a forum for exchanging information about the current publishing environment or trends in various countries. It also provides all experts involved in publishing with a chance to work together and create new business opportunities. Because the latest information on children's book from around the world can be found at the exhibition, there are also some publishers who use the exhibition as an opportunity for developing new business strategies. Children's book publishers from Japan such as FUKUINKAN SHOTEN PUBLISHERS, INC. and KAISEI-SHA Ltd. also took part in the event.

The booth of French publishers, Éditions Memo. Their "L'HERBIER" was nominated in the Non Fiction category of the "BolognaRagazzi Award." With a book in hand, the staff negotiates copyrights.

The event offers an opportunity for publishers to find new, talented picture book authors and a great chance for such authors to promote their masterpieces. Because new talent discovered at this book fair has lead to works being published, everyone was quite serious. There were many authors of illustrated books and authors-to-be forming a queue in front of publishers' booths with their books in their arms.

There is a board that lets authors and authors-to-be promote their works. Fliers containing authors' contact information that people can take home are eye-catching.

There is also an area where you will see on exhibit original illustrations created by illustrators from around the world. Visitors were looking at the rare illustrations with keen interest.

目次へ移動 Changing trends in the BolognaRagazzi Award?

The only award dedicated to books and presented at the Bologna Children's Book Fair is the"BolognaRagazzi Award."It is awarded to books with the best technical elements, artistic merit, and delicate balance between text and images. It is known as one of the most important and prestigious recognitions in the field because prize-winning books are widely introduced in the media and draw great attention. This year, over 1,160 books from 34 countries applied for the awards and a total of 15 books won the prizes in 4 categories - Fiction, Non Fiction, New Horizons, and Opera Prima.

You can see the books of the "BolognaRagazzi Award" winners on a large poster displayed by the entrance of the venue as well as in various other places inside the venue. This is indicative of how much attention the award draws.

The "BolognaRagazzi Award" awards ceremony. Plaques were given to the award-winning authors during the ceremony (at the Biblioteca Sala Borsa located in front of the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna).

Every year, books that enter for the awards cover a truly wide range of themes. Some depict every day life, others depict what the world looks like through a child's eyes, and others may be comical. This year, many of the books focused on nature. Out of the 15 books that received the awards, 7 of them, so almost half were about nature and ecology. One depicted animals living in harmony, another highlighted a life of a tree. One was based on Charles Darwin's research, and another was based on a dance that celebrates the changes in the seasons. Another book expressed a sample of plant specimens with illustrations. Another one focused on the lifestyle of indigenous people in India, and the last one was created using images of natural materials.

Mr. Antonio Faeti, chairman of the "BolognaRagazzi Award" committee. He was born in Bologna in 1939. After working as an elementary school teacher, he began to study history of children's literature at the Department of Educational Sciences at the University of Bologna. Currently, he teaches Pedagogy of Reading in Bologna (at the Biblioteca Sala Borsa located in front of the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna).

"I'm surprised that there were so many books on nature because this is a new trend. Perhaps, this may be a reflection that last year is Darwin's bicentenary, but I believe authors are becoming more sensitive to nature and the environment," says Mr. Antonio Faeti, the chairman of the awards committee.

Nowadays, global warming and deforestation is often discussed and featured in the media. The publishing industry, too, has begun to focus on such issues, and so there are increasingly more books that express the importance of nature or the environment. Because environmental issues must be tackled by many generations to come, it is a theme that I would also like to see communicated to children of the future through illustrated books.

So what books received the awards this year?
Let me introduce 3 books from The Netherlands, Japan, and India that won awards in the Fiction and New Horizons categories.

目次へ移動 Completing the story with your own words: "De boomhut" (Winner of the Fiction category/The Netherlands)

"De boomhut" (etching by Ronald Tolman, illustrations by Marije Tolman/LEMNISCAAT/2009) http://www.lemniscaat.nl/

"De boomhut" (etching by Ronald Tolman, illustrations by Marije Tolman/LEMNISCAAT/2009). English title, "The Tree House," was published by LEMNISCAAT in 2010.

Generally, illustrated books are a combination of illustrations and text, but there are also illustrated books without illustrations or without text. "De boomhut," winner of the Fiction category, is an illustrated book with one illustration on each double-page spread. It does not contain any text. The illustrations depict animals such as whales, bears, rhinoceros, flamingos, pandas, and peacocks that gather by a single tree, as though they have invited each other, as though they were playing music together. ("De boomhut" means, "house in the trees.")

The booth the publishers of "De boomhut," LEMNISCAAT. Publishers from many countries are negotiating for publishing rights at the same time.

Nearly half of the LEMNISCAAT booth was dedicated to the book, "De boomhut," so you can see that they are really putting their backs into its promotion.

The book came to fruition from a father-daughter collaboration: Mr. Ronald Tolman was in charge of the etching, and Ms. Marije Tolman drew the illustrations.

Mr. Ronald Tolman did the etching for "De boomhut." He also creates sculptures and paintings. (At the LEMNISCAAT booth) http://www.ronaldtolman.nl/

Ms. Marije Tolman drew the illustrations for "De boomhut." 　Her personification of animals is what makes her illustrations unique.(At the LEMNISCAAT booth) http://www.marijetolman.nl/

The judges stated that this book "pleads for an enlightened ecological stance in which an intense awareness that we are part of nature." Perhaps the judges thought that the illustrations featuring various different animals living together in one tree represent our planet where a truly diverse range of organisms lives.

Mr. Ronald and Ms. Marije say that they wanted to create a book without words so that the authors would not be telling a specific story.

"We were trying to search for a space, realistic feel, and freedom so that the story would speak for itself, so that readers could make their own stories. We didn't want to force people to think a certain way." (Ms. Marije Tolman)

「"By reading the book, the readers can see the importance of the natural environment, but we didn't want to tell them what to do or what to think. We value the freedom to allow people to talk each other, imagine, add their own words, and to invent their own story for the pictures they see." (Mr. Ronald Tolman)

Each and every individual perceives the illustrations differently and give them a unique meaning - Mr. and Ms. Tolman hope that this process will be cherished. What people discover for themselves will shine in their hearts like beacon for a long time to come. And the book, "De boomhut," which lets readers think about living in harmony with others and with nature, will provide an opportunity for us to think about the society and the environment we live in.

目次へ移動 A message conveyed in the margins: "Little tree" (Fiction category nomination/Japan)

"Little tree" (text and illustrations by Katsumi Komagata/ONE STROKE/2009) http://www.one-stroke.co.jp/

"Little tree" (text and illustrations by Katsumi Komagata/ONE STROKE/2009). The visitor turns the pages slowly as she listens to the description of the book.

"Little tree" is a pop up book, which depicts a life of a tree, as it grows from a sapling, expressing itself differently in each season, and eventually aging. The tree in various stages of life will pop up in the center of the double-page spread. There is little text, and the ample margins on each page are quite daring.

Acclaimed as "having created a serene tranquility in today's superfluous society" it was nominated for the Fiction category. Mass production, mass consumption is the mainstream nowadays, but this book is handmade, so only 50 copies may be produced per month.

It is beautiful to look at, but the author, Mr. Katsumi Komagata, proposes that readers superimpose their lives with the life of the tree, and have fun writing their own thoughts in the margins. This book has the possibility to become a proof of our existence, a book we bequeath to our loved ones.

The book expresses Mr. Komagata's following feelings.

Mr. Katsumi Komagata. He works out of Tokyo and Paris on design, publications, product design, exhibitions, and workshops. (At the publisher, ONE STROKE's booth)

"My uncle was in a coma and hospitalized for a very long time, but when he passed away in the end, I realized again how much it affects people when they lose their loved ones. If we could recognize a person's existence or understand them while they are still alive, then perhaps we would value interacting and living with other people even more." (Mr. Komagata)

"Books are supposed to change, depending on how the person uses it. I believe that it can be 'incomplete' in a way because this will give room for change." (Mr. Komagata)

A book in which readers write down their own thoughts or experiences. It will help us realize that a person's life is precious and invaluable. A book we helped complete will certainly be a treasure we will cherish throughout our lives.

目次へ移動 A comprehensive project that transcends beyond publishing: "Do!" (Winner of the New Horizons category/India)

"Do!" (text by Gita Wolf, illustrations by Ramesh Hengadi and Shantaram Dhadpe/Tara Books/2009) http://www.tarabooks.com/

"Do!", which won the award in the New Horizons category, is a book that expresses the lifestyle of the Warli tribe who live in Westen India, in the state of Maharashtra. These illustrations are drawn on the mud walls of village homes on special occasions such as weddings. The director of Tara Books, Ms. Gita Wolf, and artists of the Warli tribe, Mr. Ramesh Hengadi, Ms. Rashika Hengadi, and Mr. Shantaram Dhadpe and Ms. Kusum Dhadpe reproduced such illustrations for the book.

Warli are an indigenous minority. They believe that gods are present in nature and live by revering and appreciating nature. They harvest rice in the fields, fish in the rivers, and live in mud huts with their cattle and chicken. Their way of life, living in harmony with nature, helping one another out, is depicted dynamically, together with simple words like "Farm," "Grow," and "Dance."

"Do!" depicts the Warli way of life - tilling the soil, growing rice. The illustrations comprised of lines and simple circles and triangles, seem like a sacred magic spell or hieroglyphs.

To the publishers, Tara Books, the manufacturing process of the book is as important as its content."Do!" is silk-screen printed and hand bound. Many of the other books are also made by hand from printing through to binding. The finish is exquisite and incomparable to mass-produced books. The paper is made of recycled paper, which is also hand-made locally.

The book, "Do!" comes with a band explaining the book making process. Everything, from screen-printing, typesetting, binding, to stitching is done by hand.

Making this book has offered low-income people, who usually paint on the walls of their homes, a chance to apply their skills to making illustrated books, a different line of work. Not only does it create new jobs locally, it also has created a place where people who are involved in the book production can live and work.

*You can watch a video of how "Do!" was created on YouTube.

Books published by Tara Books are exported to countries and read by people all around the world, such as the UK and US, and they have also been translated into Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. The project coordinator, Mr. Arun Wolf says, "People who are involved in making the book not only get income, but they also acquire great self confidence and satisfaction."

Mr. Arun Wolf, the project coordinator at Tara Books. (At the Tara Books booth)

Tara Books has not simply just published a book. This was a "comprehensive project" that communicated the tribe's way of living in harmony with nature, employed green manufacturing processes, and created jobs for the local people. I hope more and more multi-functional projects that create such a positive cycle will be undertaken in the future.

目次へ移動 Even the book making process is green

There have been many illustrated books that focused on nature or ecology. Many people may have read "The Man who Planted Trees" (originally written by Jean Giono, illustrated by Frédéric Back), or "Life Story" (written by Virginia Lee Burton). These illustrated books communicate the importance of ecology with its "content," but the books I have introduced are ecological in terms of both "content" and "method." Both the "Little tree" and "Do!" are only hand made in small quantities and thus have a value you can't find in mass produced products. So the book making process itself is green.

Moreover, Mr. Komagata, the author of "Little tree" proposes "transforming books from a medium to a product."

"For example, if books become a product that we can look at from various perspectives or enjoy just looking at, then books will no longer be just a medium that carries information. It will start functioning as a 'product.' If we create something that preserves the paper forever, a book that is like an objet instead of using paper on direct mail and other things that are thrown away very quickly, we may be able to cherish the warmth or texture unique to paper, while reducing the amount of paper we use." (Mr. Komagata)

By reevaluating the way books are supposed to be, or to create a complete manufacturing process like "Do!" - these are themes the publishing industry should be tackling in the future.

目次へ移動 A deeper understanding we gain from experiences

With technological advancement, information is being transmitted more and more via the digital media. But throughout time, there has been a role that only books can fulfill. That is a "deeper understanding" we gain from "experiences."

Understanding that shake our way of thinking or behavior to the core cannot be obtained from information, only from our experiences. "De boomhut," which lets you add your own words to compete the story, or "Little tree," which invites you to relate your whole life to a life of a tree, let you get closer to the story and to read and experience it.

Issues on sustainability we face require a long-term commitment in order to bear fruit. And because these issues are complex and difficult, a deeper understanding we gain from our experiences will become essential.

Parents reading books to their children offer a very valuable experience to both parents and children. They can enjoy each other's voices, warmth, and share time together. The warmth and texture of the paper; the natural aesthetic of the paper, which fades and yellows with time; the warmth of the handwriting on paper - these are things that you cannot experience with digital media. Moreover, paper created from trees from the world of nature is a medium that will bring people closer to nature.

目次へ移動 The power to imagine and the ability to envision a different world

A wide range of organisms lives in and interacts with the diverse environment on our unique planet. Our way of life and social activity, and the Earth's environment that supports this are all interconnected by layers and layers interlaced relationships.

But today's lifestyle makes it difficult to trace how products are created, and where they go after we are done with it. And it is not easy to realize that problems such as the destruction of nature or poverty in far away lands are related to us. In such an environment, the "power to imagine" becomes very important.

Imagination, which illustrated books nurture, will become more and more necessary in the era that we live in. The ambiguity of the margins and illustrations of the books give way to a wide range of interpretation and infinite imagination. The rich sensitivity nurtured with illustrated books will give us the power necessary to see the various relationships and interconnectivity that are getting harder and harder to sense today.

In our era, we have seen the limits of capitalism and we are reexamining what we see and value as wealth and happiness, so where are we headed and what kind of society are we going to create? 大We are facing big changes today, and in such an era, we should not try to "predict" the future based on the present. We should "envision" a world we would like to create. And we should take action to realize this future by first understanding that various situations are interrelated.

Imagination - the "power to envision a world that doesn't exist yet." This is a power that is necessary especially for us adults in this era of change. The imagination and possibility that lie in illustrated books are not only available to children. It is also there for us adults to tap into. Why not take another look at the illustrated books you read as a child?

Keiko Hoshino Biography
Obtained a masters degree in Holistic Science from Schumacher College. She was involved in communications related to the environment and sustainability at e's Inc./Change Agent, Inc. and became independent in 2010. Planned and edited the Japanese edition of an anthology of articles from the Resurgence magazine (translation of the Japanese title - "Toward an era for reconnection: Environmental thoughts and actions aiming for a sustainable society.") Currently, she conducts research on illustrated books, educational materials, and designing relationships.