For a happy few, Bologna actually began in London on Monday, at an international gathering of publishers of the Harry Potter books that included an unprecedented press conference during which J.K. Rowling submitted to a grilling from journalists representing every country in which her hooks are appearing. For Christine Baker, editor-in-chief of the Gallimard children's book department, the London meeting set the tone for the balance of the week, letting the world know that despite e-book hype, print was doing quite well, thank you.

If the euphoric mood should not have affected publishers who don't do Harry, it did seem to stimulate foreign demand for English-language fiction. For New York agent Sheldon Fogelman it was "the year of the novel," based on what he was being asked for. As for picture books, Fogelman's forte, "You have to make a case to get someone to look at one," He wasn't complaining; it was a good year for vendors, with every country except Japan in shopping mode.

The trend was confirmed by Curtis Brown's Bologna mavens Marilyn Marlow (a 30-year veteran) and Dave Barbor (at least a dozen fairs). Barbor even put in a good word for Japan (whose language he has been studying); thanks to a stronger yen, the Japanese were not turning a deaf ear to his proposals. Curtis Brown specializes in YA fiction and found Germany and even France quite receptive this year. The Scandinavians were buying more from each other; the Dutch were slower to react.

Italy has become one of the liveliest new markets, "because they've had so much catching up to do." A visitor could verify this on the stand of Milan's Feltrinelli, a well-known adult imprint for quality fiction and serious nonfiction, which was moving into children's books in a big way. PW met Valeria Raimondi, editor-in-chief of the new department (which is publishing under the logo Feltrinelli Kids). The goal, she said, is to match the quality of Feltrinelli's adult lines. To achieve that, they are doing a lot of buying from outside (so far, 22 translations to eight originals) and expect to take the lead in YA fiction. The book featured on their stand happened not to be for children but about children: Saying No: Why It's Important for You and Your Child by Asha Phillips, acquired from Faber & Faber (and the 70,000 copies Feltrinelli sold of its translation topped the figures for the Faber original).

Statistics compiled by Italy's Liber Database confirm the health of the children's sector in Italy, with a steady rise in title output year after year, but also the predominance of translations over Italian originals (with the U.K. as chief...