Function and nonfiction books in the Romanian and other languages printed by over 50 publishing houses of Moldova and from abroad will be presented at the 15th edition of the International Book Fair for Children and Youth that is hosted by the exhibitions center Moldexpo. The Fair can be visited during May 4-6, between 10am and 6pm, and on May 7, between 10am and 5pm, with free admission, IPN reports.

Children, young people, parents, teachers and all those interested are invited to about 45 book launches, meetings with writers, autograph sessions, creation workshops, exhibitions of book illustrations. On the occasion of the Year of Ukrainian Culture in the Republic of Moldova, an exhibition with the most representative books for children written by Ukrainian authors will be mounted and meetings of children with a Ukrainian writer will be held.

Among the invitees of the Fair is Maria Georgiu, the founder and president of the OvidiuRo Association of Romania, which promotes reading in early education through different projects implemented also in the Republic of Moldova. On May 6, at 12:30pm, Maria Gheorghiu will stage a workshop for educators and parents titled “Read 100 Tales to Me” and a number of reading workshops for children in kindergartens of Chisinau.

The same day, at 11am, there will be held a special event in the framework of the National Reading Promotion Project “Open Book” that is implemented under the auspices of President Maia Sandu. Animators and members of reading clubs from different institutions are invited to this event. Later, at 3pm, the National Youth Platform for Active Participation invites creative adolescents and young people to the social poetry event “Open Mic”.

The National Children’s Library “Ion Creangă” stages the online international conference “Book and Reading in Crisis Situations” that will involve librarians from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. As part of the Fair, the surprise book “Ștrengărița” by Claudia Partole will be distributed to all the children who will visit the Fair that will end with an award ceremony at 12 noon on May 7.

The event is organized by the Moldova National Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova and the Romanian Cultural Institute “Mihai Eminescu” in Chisinau.