JD.COM, the largest online bookseller in China, released its latest research report on book trends for juvenile readers at the 22nd Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF).

    Based on sales volume from 2014 to the first half of 2015, JD.com’s report showed that the top three most popular (based on sales) literature books were “The Little Prince” by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “Tetsuko Kuroyanagi: the Little Girl at the Window” by Japanese writer Tetsuko Kuroyanagi and “The Straw House” by Chinese writer Cao Wenxuan.

    The report also showed that 60 percent of Chinese parents choose juvenile literature works. According to Chinese scholars, this demonstrates that parents prefer teaching their children reasoning and critical thinking skills through stories with graceful language or touching plots.

    Skill-training books are always best sellers for juvenile readers. The report showed that books on calligraphy and painting ranked first in sales, accounting for over 56 percent of all skill-training books.

    Among the top 20 traditional Chinese juvenile books, “Three Character Primer” ranked first in sales while “Di Zi Gui” (“Standards for Being a Good Student and Child”) and “A Collection of 100 Surnames in China” followed at second and third.

    While Chinese children of the 1980s were attracted to Japanese anime, Chinese kids post-2000 prefer American and European works. The report showed that “Frozen,” “Princess Barbie” and “My Little Pony” were the most popular cartoon books.

    According to Yang Haifeng, general manager of the department of books and audiovisual products at JD.com, the report is a reference for publishers and helps them better understand trends in juvenile books.

    “With the international influence of the BIBF, more and more publishers and readers are paying attention to and participating in the fair. It’s become the largest cultural exchange activity in China. That’s why we choose to publish our report during the fair,” Yang added.

    As one of the world’s biggest book gatherings, 2,270 publishers from 82 countries and regions participated in the 2015 BIBF. Held from Aug. 26 to 30, it exhibited about 270,000 publications in a 66,000-square-meter venue at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing.

    Among the participants, 1,305 were from overseas, a year-on-year increase of 6.3 percent. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the fair’s guest of honor. Serbia, Romania, Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan were first-timers to the event. (SD-Agencies)