Book publishing is an ailing industry, but children’s books are booming. Yet, with this success, political attacks and censorship are also threatening this thriving sector.
The memory of reading the very first book as a child remains vivid, unlocking worlds far beyond the limits of everyday reality. There was a powerful sense of inspiration and courage drawn from tales of strong, fearless girls like Pippi Longstocking, who sparked a feeling of boldness and possibility.
And now children’s books are on the rise again! They are among the best-selling books and their market value is estimated to be 13 Billion dollar industry in 2024.
While quantifying children’s books may seem necessary for evaluation, it fails to capture the significant influence that stories and their characters have on early development. Especially in Covid times Children’s books were a place children and some adults could escape to feel less lonely.
Today, we sit down with three authors to explore the evolving significance of storytelling for young audiences and its impact over time.
Chrysogonus Siddha Malilang, Chrysogonus Siddha Malilang is a senior lecturer at Malmö universitet, Sweden and the current editor of Bookbird. He is a researcher in children’s literature and education as well as a creative writer and a translator.
Írisz Agócs is an illustrator and author. After studying cultural anthropology and ethnography, she switched to illustration, especially enjoying children’s illustrations and slightly grotesque themes.
Liv Andrea Banner is a Danish writer who grew up in Aarhus and recently completed a degree in creative writing and Irish literature in Sligo. Her debut novel, Guilt Society, was published in 2025 and nominated for the Bodil & Jørgen Much-Christensen prize.
Réka Kinga Papp anchor
Daniela Univazo writer-editor
Merve Akyel art director, Eurozine
Szilvia Pintér producer
Julia Sobota captions and translations
Zsófia Gabriella Papp digital producer
Priyanka Hutschenreiter project manager
Judit Csikós head of finance
Réka Kinga Papp editor-in-chief
Csilla Nagyné Kardos office administration
Gergely Áron Pápai DoP
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Nóra Ruszkai video editor
István Nagy lead video editor
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Dániel Nagy dialogue editor
Victor Maria Lima animation
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Disclosure
This talk show is a Display Europe production: a ground-breaking media platform anchored in public values.
This programme is co-funded by the European Commission and the European Cultural Foundation.
Importantly, the views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and speakers only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Published 25 October 2024
Original in English
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