By Olivia Snaije

The children’s book market in Brazil is the biggest in the industry. Miriam Gabbai, founder of Callis, has been publishing children’s books for 26 years. Her core business is school oriented, providing literature for classrooms. She doesn’t put ages on her books but rather on her catalogues as guidance for teachers. Two of Brazil’s most important children’s book authors who have sold several million books between the two of them, Ricardo Azevedo and Ilan Brenman, agree with Gabbai: a quality children’s book is ageless.

Azevedo and Brenman really understand the language that children can relate to, said Gabbi, even if they broach subjects that concern everyone. “They are respectful of children, but adults read their books, too.”

Azevedo, who often illustrates his books, recently launched a YA novel called Thorny Brushwood of the Deep Jungle, about a 16-year-old boy during the 16th century who is shipwrecked in Brazil and has to survive in the jungle.

Ilan Brenman, who says he loves transgression, (his bestselling book is called Even Princesses Fart) is at Frankfurt with a book called Daddy is Mine, about two sisters who fight for their father’s attention and end up tearing him in half.

Both authors have been translated into numerous languages including Catalan, Spanish, Korean, French, Swedish and Danish.

Gabbai sells rights to Europe and the US, but Asia has become a big market for her, in particular Korea. She recently opened a branch in the US in order to penetrate the American market.

Azevedo and Brenman will be appearing on Friday October 11 at 5pm at an event called “The Children’s Book and its Author” in Hall 5.1 E79.