International Publishing Conference of Original Chinese Children's Books hel...

The launch of the English edition of "I Love Mummy, I Love Daddy" and the International Publishing Conference of Original Chinese Children's Books took place at the China Pavilion of the London Book Fair on March 11. Experts and authors from the publishing industries of China and abroad engaged in in-depth discussions on several acclaimed Chinese children's books shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing in recent years. The event also looked ahead to strengthening the dialogue among civilizations, enhancing collaboration in high-quality publishing, and promoting cultural prosperity.

The launch of the English edition of "I Love Mummy, I Love Daddy" and the International Publishing Conference of Original Chinese Children's Books took place at the China Pavilion of the London Book Fair on March 11, 2025. Photo by the organizer

The event commenced with the launch of the English edition of "I Love Mummy, I Love Daddy". Written by renowned Chinese educator Zhu Yongxin and illustrated by acclaimed British-Chinese Yu Rong, the Chinese edition was published by Dandelion Children's Book House of Guizhou Publishing Group, while the English edition was brought out by CYPI PRESS. Since its publication in April 2024, the book has won multiple prestigious awards, including the Image of the Book Award for Best Illustrations for Children's Books in Russia, and the 2024 China Media Group "Reading" Programme's Annual Selection of Children's Books. The rights for its publication in 11 languages have been sold to eight countries.

Cover of "I Love Mummy, I Love Daddy". Photo by the organizer

During the conference, three other works shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing were showcased, including "Shulin's Grandpa", "The Visible Sounds" and "Flying High". With a history of nearly 90 years, the Carnegie Medal for Writing is one of the most influential awards in global children's literature. Representatives from the publisher of the English edition CYPI PRESS, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the British publishing industry, and the event's organizers discussed the role of publishing in fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding among civilizations. They agreed that the future belongs to the younger generation and that publishing plays an irreplaceable role in children's healthy development. The Carnegie Medal-winning works, they noted, are masterpieces that embody profound thought, artistic excellence, readability, and educational value, and resonate with universal values cherished by humanity. These works share several defining characteristics, including themes of humanity's brilliance, international expression with emotional resonance, integration of cultural heritage and distinctive binding design.

Cover of "Shulin's Grandpa". Photo by the organizer

As the organizer noted, the successful hosting of the International Publishing Conference of Original Chinese Children's Books has fully demonstrated the active exploration by a number of publishers in the international publishing sector over the past 18 years since the inception of China's "going global" publishing initiative. The conference showcased a collection of outstanding works tailored to international contexts with differentiated and regionalized expressions, further enhancing the influence and affinity of China's international communication. In line with the development trends of international communication, the new realms and prospects for publishing's "going global" initiative are highly promising.

Richard Charkin, former President of the International Publishers Association (3rd from the left), Dr. Stephen Cherry, Dean of the King’s College Cambridge (5th from the right) and other guests attended the event and accepted the book presented by Counsellor Hua Mei, Wife of Ambassador Zheng Zeguang of China to the UK (7th from the left) on March 11, 2025. Photo by the organizer

In addition, the International Publishing Conference of Original Chinese Children's Books was co-organized by CYPI PRESS and China National Publications Import & Export (Group) CO., Ltd. The event was moderated by Pam Dix, Chair of IBBY UK, and featured insightful discussions by distinguished experts, including Jake Hope, Award Executive for the Carnegie Medals, Alison Brumwell, Past Chair of the National Youth Libraries Group, Hazel Holmes, President of UCLan Publishing, internationally acclaimed illustrator Yu Rong, and Lyu Tongyi, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Youth Publishing Group. (By Ma Ziqian/China Youth Daily)

来源：中国青年报客户端