When it comes to publishing in China, it's the little things that matter most. Children's books have become a favorite genre for publishers and copyrights agents from China and abroad.

The adventure series Tiger-Team, written by Berlin-based author Thomas Brezina, has set children's book sales records in China with more than 16 million copies sold.

The author attributes the popularity of his books among Chinese children to the stories' adventurous, humorous and suspenseful tones, as well as the fact that they are all set in interesting places all over the world. He believes that children want books in which they find respect and understanding.

Sabine Arena, a foreign copyrights manager from the Germany-based Hercules Publishing House, believes that China is an education-oriented society, where parents are willing to invest in their children's success.

But while such international offerings are making headway among Chinese children, Chinese children's books are struggling to get a foothold in the international market. Most experts cite a lack of originality as the greatest obstacle to these books' international success.

Brezina says he knows and greatly respects Zheng Yuanjie, a famous Chinese writer who has penned a series of fairytales for more than 20 years, because they share a similar attitude towards children's literature.

Children's books should touch a child's soul, be fun to read, and provide information and ideas they can use in their daily lives, Brezina says in a forum.

However, some children's books in China have been successful in the international market.

Guangxi-based Jieli Publishing House, for example, recently inked a deal with Harper-Collins to publish a series of eight books entitled Ma Xiaotiao the Naughty Elf. The series is written by popular Chinese children's author Yang Hongying.

(China Daily September 4, 2007)