FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday April 9 2024
Vancouver, Canada / Berkeley, U.S. / London, U.K.––We are thrilled to announce that Greystone Kids and its imprint Aldana Libros received the prestigious 2024 BOP – Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publisher of the Year: North America. Established by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in collaboration with the Italian Publishers Association and the International Publishers Association, the BOP – Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year acknowledges top children’s publishers across the world.
Presented on Monday, April 8 at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, the 2024 winners included Greystone Kids for North America; Yanbow Al Kitab for Africa; Poplar Publishing Co. for Asia; Cataplum Libros for Caribbean, Central and South America; Mosquito Books Barcelona for Europe; and Huia Publishers for Oceania.
The prize is awarded annually to children’s publishing houses that are most recommended in each of the six geographical areas by publishers, publishers’ associations, and institutions devoted to reading promotion worldwide. Each year, Bologna Children’s Book Fair exhibitors vote to select the winners. According to the organizers, “What makes [the BOP] so special is that the prize is given by the publishers themselves who are asked to nominate those publishing houses that have stood out in terms of their creativity, innovation and the quality of their editorial choices.”
Lara LeMoal, Associate Publisher of Greystone Kids, and Patricia Aldana, Publisher of Greystone Kids imprint Aldana Libros, were in Bologna to accept the award on Monday night.
“We are honored and thrilled to be recognized by our peers––extraordinary publishers from all over the world who share our passion for children’s literature,” said LeMoal. “It is such a pleasure to be part of this community, thank you,” she continued.
Patricia Aldana said: “So delighted that this very new publishing program—Greystone Kids and Aldana Libros—were recognized by our peers at Bologna. It’s an acknowledgement that publishing driven by very good books, Canadian and international, with substantial stories are valued.”
Since launching in 2019, Greystone Kids and Aldana Libros have published acclaimed, award-winning books for children, including New York Times Best Illustrated Award winners, Bologna Ragazzi Award winners, Hans Christian Andersen Award winners, and picture books and middle grade books that have landed on Best of the Year lists selected by the New York Times, the Times of London, Horn Book Magazine, and more. Greystone Kids is an independent publisher of fiction and nonfiction picture books and middle-grade and YA nonfiction about nature, science, health, and community. Aldana Libros publishes books from around the world; the imprint highlights unique, international voices and stories.