International Book Fair for Children and Youth inaugurated in Moldovan capital

Chisinau, 4 May /MOLDPRES/ - The 25th edition of the International Book Fair for Children and Youth today was inaugurated at the MOLDEXPO International Exhibition Centre. The Fair will be staged on 4-7 May.      

The event is organized by Moldova’s National Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), with the financial support of the Culture Ministry, Mihai Eminescu Romanian Cultural Institute in Chisinau and in cooperation with the Ion Creanga Nationaol Library for Children, Editors’ Union Writers’ Union, Fine Artists’ Union of Moldova and other organizations.   

Contacted by MOLDPRES, the director of the Ion Creanga National  Library for Children, Eugenia Bejan, said that about 45 book launches would take place at the fair, as well as meetings with writers, autograph sessions, creation workshops, exhibitions of book illustrations. On the occasion of the Year of Ukrainian Culture in Moldova, in cooperation with the National Library of Ukraine for Children, an exhibition with the most representative books for children of Ukrainian authors will be organized within the Fair and meetings of children, including refugees ones, will be held with a writer from Ukraine.

Attending the event, Culture Minister Sergiu Prodan said that this was one of the brightest days of the year. ‘’Seeing here how many children are expecting this book fair, we start being quite optimistic about the future. It is very important that we have a new generation, which loves books, which becomes fond of this, as despite the modern technologies, the book anyway remains the most important act of the spiritual growth and training of any young person and we today speak about the book for children and youth ,’’ the official stressed.   

Within the fair, the Ion Creanga National Library for Children organizes the online international conference titled, Book and reading in crisis situations, in which librarians from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine participate. The fair will end with a festivity of awarding prizes, which will take place on 7 May at 12:00.