With the name "Children's Books Day Workshop", thirteen Spanish publishers participated at this workshop, counting among the attendees with teachers from the districts of Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, as well as with distributors of the children's publishing sector. This event was intended to bring children's books edited in Spain to a market in which the demand for these materials is increasing.
In the US, the children's book market covers 6.6% of the publishing industry, generating $ 2.4 billion in 2016, not including textbooks or self-publishing on the Internet. However, the instruction material segment is the largest and with the highest growth forecasts, due to the large increase in the school-age population (which makes up what is known as "K-12" in the US). In addition, the greater register of Hispanic population in public and secondary schools has caused that the demand for complementary materials in Spanish has grown in the last years, which presents an opportunity for the Spanish companies that want to enter the American market.
Among the publishers who attended the meeting were: Apila Ediciones, Combel Editorial, Desclée de Brouwer, Ediciones Ekaré, Ediciones Picarona, Editorial Corimbo, Editorial Flamboyant, Editorial Juventud, Grupo Anaya, Grupo Edelvives, Nube Ocho, Sieteleguas Ediciones Y Tramuntana Editorial. They showed their wide catalog of children's titles to teachers, librarians and distributors, who highlighted the great quality of the books, as well as their brilliant content.
During the event, some of the publishers - Apila, Ekaré and Flamboyant - prepared a training program for teachers regarding the role books play in educating children in the classrooms: their importance in the transmission of social values, development of creativity and intelligence, assitance in conflict resolution, communication of emotions, etc.
Press Release by Adriana Navarro Gómez - Int'l Trade Advisor
Translation by Alina San Juan - Head Trade Officer
