多年前，我曾經逛過城市書展，雖然規模比不上每年年初的國際書展，不過也是有很多知名的品牌書店參展，除了書籍之外，現場也有多場研討會之類的活動，今年既然拿到免費門票，於是我就挑一天過去逛逛，多年前，業界就有人繪聲繪影地說出，幾年內紙本書會消失，然而，紙本書並未消失，據我這幾年的觀察，紙本書與數位載體呈現互補且並存的狀態，因為各有各的便利點，我就較喜歡閱讀紙本書，所以，書展短期之內，應該還不會消失。
但我進入展場後，發現一群孩童或坐或臥，在展場的角落休息，應該是逛累了，找個地方歇息吧，原來城市書展與童書展同期聯袂展出，剛好適逢暑假期間，不少父母帶著小孩，除了打發時間之外，更是希望幫孩子能找到喜歡的書，並期待他們能培養閱讀的興趣，童書與成人看的書非常不同，各種可愛的角色和鮮豔的插畫，光是封面就讓孩童忍不住停下腳步，現場除了繪本之外，還有科普讀物、故事書、立體書、益智遊戲書，以及各種適合不同年齡層的小讀物，孩童來到這裡真是樂翻了。
對了，這個展不是城市書展嗎？怎麼從入口處延綿下來，都是一堆童書及益智遊戲玩具等啊？當我逛完一圈之後，發現整個展場比較適合成人看的書，都集中在一個市集內，市集內都是一些獨立書店，所以，這裡可以看到一些個人創作、獨立刊物及絕版二手書等，和我記憶中的城市書展不太一樣，感覺這個書展已經被童書展吃掉了，超過八成的展品都是童書，有點掛羊頭賣狗肉之嫌，事已至此，就隨遇而安吧。
在展場內我發現一個之前沒看過的益智玩具，叫做磁力片，這些看似簡單的小磁片，可以變化出不同的造型，從房子、城堡、汽車、動物、機器人等，都可以一一實現，孩子不需要螺絲、膠水，也不需要複雜的工具，只要把兩片磁力片靠近，它們就會牢牢吸在一起，進而建造出任何可以想像中的事物，拆掉重建也很簡單，在遊戲過程中，也可以培養孩子空間概念、邏輯思考、手眼協調與問題解決能力等，假如是小時候的我看到的話，應該會玩翻了吧。
A few years ago, I visited the City Book Fair. Although it was nowhere near as big as the International Book Exhibition held at the beginning of every year, quite a few well-known bookstores and publishing brands still took part, and there were also several seminars and other activities. Since I got a free ticket this year, I decided to pick a day and go check it out. Years ago, people in the publishing industry were already saying that printed books would disappear within a few years. But that never happened. From what I’ve seen over the past few years, printed books and digital media have actually been coexisting and complementing each other, because each has its own advantages and conveniences. Personally, I still prefer reading printed books, so I don’t think book fairs are going away anytime soon.
But after I entered the exhibition hall, I noticed a group of children sitting or even lying down in a corner, probably because they were tired from walking around and needed a place to take a break. Then I realized that the City Book Fair was being held together with a children’s book fair. Since it happened to be summer vacation, quite a few parents had brought their kids along. Besides looking for something to do during the summer break, many parents were hoping to find books their children would enjoy and, hopefully, help them develop an interest in reading. Children’s books are, of course, very different from books for adults. With all the cute characters and colorful illustrations, kids can’t help but stop and take a look just by seeing the covers. There were picture books, science books, storybooks, pop-up books, educational games, and all kinds of books designed for different age groups. The kids seemed to be having a blast.
Wait a minute. Isn’t this supposed to be a city book fair? Why are there so many children’s books, educational toys, and games stretching all the way from the entrance? After walking around the entire exhibition, I realized that most of the books that were more suitable for adults had been gathered in a separate marketplace. The marketplace was mostly made up of independent bookstores, so you could find personal creations, independent publications, and even out-of-print secondhand books. It was quite different from the City Book Fair I remembered. Honestly, it felt like the children’s book fair had completely taken over the event. More than 80 percent of the exhibits seemed to be children’s books and related products. It was almost like calling one thing by another name. But since I was already there, I decided to just go with the flow and see what I could find.
While walking around, I came across an educational toy I had never seen before. It was called magnetic tiles. They may look like nothing more than simple little magnetic pieces, but you can use them to build all kinds of things, including houses, castles, cars, animals, robots, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Kids don’t need screws, glue, or complicated tools to play with them. Just bring two magnetic tiles close together, and they snap together. From there, they can keep adding more pieces and build whatever comes to mind. And if the structure doesn’t work out, no problem. You can simply take it apart and build something completely different. Besides being fun, playing with magnetic tiles can also help children develop spatial awareness, logical thinking, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills. If I had seen something like this when I was a kid, I probably would have gone absolutely crazy for it!
