Global audience for Chinese language picture books

Tuan Yuan By: Yu Liqiong and Zhu Chengliang Publisher: Tomorrow Publishing House Year published: 2008 Pages: 40 Price: 32.8 yuan ($5.33)

Fang Weiping, a two-time judge for the award and an established children's literature critic in China with Zhejiang Normal University, observes that applicants from the mainland have increased quickly in the past few years, as well as from other countries, such as Japan and Malaysia.

Though the Chinese mainland lags far behind developed countries in reading and creating children's picture books, the publishers of such books have expanded both the number of imported titles and domestically produced volumes, Fang says. However, the quality varies considerably.

Fang is also pleased that the award promotes Chinese-language picture books to the rest of the world.

"Many of the awarded books have been translated from Chinese into foreign languages such as English, Korean and Japanese, and some have become globally recognized," Fang says, citing the example of Tuan Yuan, or A New Year's Reunion (in English), which resonates with every child who misses family members when they are away, and shows how love endures over time and distance.

Author Yu Liqiong and illustrator Zhu Chengliang, both from the mainland, tell a bittersweet story in the book from the first-person perspective of a little girl, Maomao.

Her father works at a faraway place to support the family, and comes home just once a year for the Spring Festival. When he comes back, Maomao barely recognizes him, but before long the family is happily making sticky rice balls, enjoying fireworks and watching the dragon dance in the streets below.

The father gets a haircut, carries out repairs to the house, and hides a lucky coin in dumplings for Maomao to find, following an old tradition.

Yet all too soon, it is time for the father to go away again.

After winning the award in 2009, the book was published in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Britain.

It also was named the best illustrated children's book of 2011 by the New York Times.

In 2009, judges from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States studied 330-odd entries before awarding the writer and illustrator of the winning book $10,000 each. Nine shortlist finalists each received $1,000.

Since then, both judges and applicants have come from an increasing number of countries and areas, according to Fok.

The judges include literary critics, scholars, education experts, artists and reading promoters, Fok adds.

After announcing the final results, likely in the second half of 2015, the award organizing committee will hold exhibitions of the winning and honored entries, forums on children's picture books, and lectures from award winners.