CHILDREN’S books are seeing a heyday in China as young readers’ appetite for books has grown significantly over the years, which has attracted publishers from around the world seeking to grab a slice of the bullish market.

At the 2020 China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair that concluded Nov. 15, more than 60,000 of the latest publications were displayed by hundreds of children’s book publishers from 21 countries and regions including the United States, Britain, France and Norway.

April Guo, general manager of Cricket Media China, said the company has participated in this exhibition for seven consecutive years.

The publishing house has introduced a series of popular science magazines to China, which became sought-after due to their easy-to-understand language and lively illustrations.

Guo said their sales on the first day of the exhibition reached 50,000 yuan (US$7,600), easily surpassing their total sales from 2019.

“Benefiting from China’s opening up in the publishing sector, we have simplified formalities to bring original children’s books to younger Chinese readers,” said Guo.

Due to the popularization of English education for preschool children, Guo predicted that the number of subscribers to their English magazines will rise significantly in the coming three years.

China has seen double-digit growth in the number of children’s books published for two decades, with sales volumes surpassing 20 billion yuan annually, according to a think tank report issued in June.(Xinhua)