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Wizard Within at Beijing International Book Fair!
Our very own production editor, Pei Yen, and illustrator, Jessica, attended the 31st Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF)!
The prestigious event took place at China National Convention Centre in Beijing from the 18th until 22nd June 2025, where visitors could find Wizard Within featured at the Malaysian Pavilion amongst 32 local publishing houses.
The event boasted over 1700 exhibitors originating from 80 countries worldwide. Amongst the esteemed guests, Malaysia was named as the Guest Country of Honour.
The Deputy Education Minister, Wong Kah Woh, was present at the unveiling of the Malaysian Pavilion where he spoke on his ambitions to further the Malaysian publishing industry by supporting collective growth and collaborations on the global scale.
At the Malaysian Pavilion, Pei Yen and Jessica conducted two book sharings, a Malaysian themed stamp rally, and additionally, invited audience members to draw Katie.
Wizard Within was delighted to bring our books to the global stage as this was our very first international sharing. We hope that by introducing our storybooks to new crowds, children and parents from all around the world can grow to love Katie and our characters as much as we do!
Pei Yen also joined as a panelist for the “Better Books, Together: China-Malaysia Children’s Publishing Forum”, where she had the opportunity to comment on the intertwining of culture into children’s literature to build community as well as encourage regional storytelling.
The theme for this year’s BIBF, “Promoting Civilization Inheritance and Development, Advancing Exchange and Mutual Learning for Win-Win Cooperation,” is reflective of Wizard Within’s core direction towards progress and innovation.
Pei Yen and Jessica shared their highlights from the trip and noted that they were delighted to reunite with friends and exhibitors that they had met on their previous trip to BIBF.
On top of that, they were able to forge new connections through more than 15 meetings with diverse publishers and manufacturers that shared a mutual interest in bringing stories to a larger audience.
Notable connections include individuals from the Malaysian Board on Books for Young People (MBBY) and the Selangor Library (PPAS).
The duo’s exposure to different stakeholders provided valuable insight into how Wizard Within can stay true to their goal of educating and nourishing children while simultaneously persevering with the changes of time and developments in technology.
It is our dear hope that with fruitful connections like these that Wizard Within can continue spreading warmth and magic to children everywhere.
Wizard Within will also be joining the South China Book Festival in Guangzhou, China set to be held this August 2025. We hope to continue representing the Malaysian children storybook industry through international stages like these.
