Perception and Reception of Nonfiction for Children and Youth in Slovenia

Abstract

Perception and Reception of Nonfiction for Children and Youth in Slovenia Tina Bilban (bio) In Slovenia, the publishing of high-quality fiction for children and youth has traditionally been considered crucial for national culture. In contrast, nonfiction for children and youth has not been admitted the same importance and has been, after introduction of capitalist economy, completely subjected to the open market. Publishers have avoided original nonfiction as it is expensive to produce and considered difficult to sell (readers have moved to other media, such as educational television programs and the internet). With little public interest in nonfiction for children and youth, its unfortunate state would have gone unnoticed if not for systematic expert assessment of children and youth literature. The systematic assessment of children’s and youth literature in Slovenia started with the establishment of the first Slovenian children and youth literature journals—Otrok in knjiga [Child and book] in 1972 and Šolska knjižnica [School library] in 1991—which published recommendations, assessments, and reviews of selected titles. Since 1998, an independent systematic assessment has been made annually by an expert committee gathered around Pionirska, center for youth literature and librarianship, Ljubljana City Library. Today the assessment, titled Priročnik za branje kakovostnih mladinskih knjig [Manual for reading quality youth literature, the Manual for short], includes a list of all books for children and youth published in Slovenia in the past year, with grades from 1 (very low quality) to 5 (excellent). Books with grades 4 or 5 are annotated, and the latter are also visually promoted with a Zlata hruška (Golden Pear) mark. The Golden Pear has become recognized as a symbol of quality, and the Golden Pear stickers guide visitors in most Slovenian libraries and bookstores towards high-quality literature. In 2012, the expert committee established the Golden Pear Award in three categories: best original fiction, best translated fiction (awarded jointly with the Slovenian section of IBBY), and best original nonfiction for children and youth. The Golden Pear is the first literary award for nonfiction for children and youth in Slovenia. Since its establishment, The Manual has served as a catalyst for expert evaluation of nonfiction for children and youth, which lead to the observation of its alarming decline in quality and quantity. In 2013, the [End Page 46] share of nonfiction in the annual production for children and youth was only 13 percent; further, only 17 percent of all nonfiction received a recommendation, and the Golden Pear Award in category best original nonfiction for children and youth could not be awarded that year. This alarming state was not a consequence of the lack of original nonfiction material. In 2013, many educational books were published that could not be replaced by translated best-sellers, but most as half-finished products. Either expert writers decided to self-publish or publish at academic publishing houses with no experience in publication for children and youth or the books were published by one of the main publishing houses which failed to invest sufficiently in editorial work and illustrations. Pionirska, the main force behind the Manual, decided to intervene and address the stakeholders in the nonfiction for children and youth production with a set of monthly expert seminars in 2014. In the seminars, experts, from science promoters to psychologist, presented the importance of nonfiction—which encourages children to perceive the world from another perspective, offers background for their imagination, and sparks interest in science. It was emphasized that many less diligent readers prefer reading nonfiction to fiction; therefore, the promotion of quality nonfiction can maintain their positive attitude towards books. Media coverage of these expert seminars mediated the expert appeal to the lay public. The improved media coverage and public interest in nonfiction lead publishing houses to the perceived promise of better sales figures, while expert analysis of the current situation pointed out the existence of proficient authors willing to write about their field of expertise for children and youth. The expert committee of the Manual observed some positive changes in quality—but not yet in quantity—of the nonfiction works produced in2014, with 34 percent nonfiction titles receiving a recommendation. Among original non-fiction titles, eight were excellent and the...