From March 31 to April 3, 2025, the 62nd Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) was held in grand ceremony at the Bologna Exhibition Center. During this four-day international publishing event, the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) sent a delegation consisting of Xu Haifeng, Director of the Reading and Publishing Division; Wang Kexin, Head of the Chinese Children’s Books Editorial Department; and Li Dan, Copyright Manager of the International Division. The delegation held in-depth exchanges with leading international children’s book publishers and brand licensors, jointly exploring opportunities for collaboration in the development of children's books and related products.
Before the opening of the BCBF, the delegation from the FLTRP made a special trip to London, UK, to hold consultations with two key partners regarding the “Pip and Posy” series. Designed as emotional intelligence enlightenment and habit-forming picture books for children aged 0-4, the series achieved remarkable success in China in 2024, with annual sales reaching 7 million copies. The series has consistently ranked among the top three best-selling children’s books for its audience’s age group and has become one of the FLTRP’s most influential Chinese book brands.
On March 28, the delegation visited Nosy Crow, and independent children’s publishing company in the UK. As the copyright holder of “Pip and Posy”, Nosy Crow holds a prestigious reputation in the international children’s book publishing field. Both parties reviewed the outstanding performance of the series in the Chinese market, reached a consensus on the publication plans for new books for the next three years, and had in-depth exchanges on topics such as digital product development and intellectual property protection, laying a solid foundation for future cooperation. The delegation also met with the creator of the book series, Axel Scheffler, and reached a consensus on strengthening copyright protection and combating piracy.
On March 29, the FLTRP, together with Nosy Crow, visited Magic Light Pictures to conduct in-depth discussions on the development of derivative products for the “Pip and Posy” series. The talks focused on innovative cross-industry collaboration models, aiming to transcend traditional publishing boundaries and explore new avenues for multidimensional IP operations. The three parties unanimously agreed that the success and significant influence of the “Posy and Pip” brand in the Chinese market are inseparable from the FLTRP’s long-term dedication and meticulous efforts. In the future, with paper publications as the core, the brand value will be extended through a diverse product matrix to explore broader market opportunities. After thorough communication, the three parties reached a preliminary cooperation intention and agreed to further refine their plans during the BCBF.
During the BCBF, Michael Rose, co-founder of Magic Light Pictures, made a special appearance to hold in-depth discussions with the delegation from the FLTRP regarding the development of derivative products. After nearly three hours of negotiations, both parties achieved significant breakthroughs in the design and development of merchandise such as plush toys, as well as market promotion, and signed a cooperation memorandum on-site.
This collaboration marks a key step for the “Pip and Posy” brand in expanding from the publishing industry to diversified development. The FLTRP will continue to work closely with its partners to create a more comprehensive IP derivative product system. By combining high-quality products with innovative formats, the goal of the FLTRP is to establish the “Pip and Posy” series as the leading brand in the 0-4-year-old children’s book market, providing Chinese children with a richer reading and entertainment experience.
