JatimVoice com – In a quiet room, a child turns the pages of a picture book - a scene growing increasingly rare in our digital age. This fading tradition is what the Big Bad Wolf (BBW) book fair seeks to revive as it returns to Surabaya after a two-year hiatus, bringing 350,000 books to the Surabaya Convention Center from 9-18 May 2025.
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| Source: suarajatimpost |
Against UNESCO's ranking of Indonesia as 60th out of 61 nations in reading interest, BBW Surabaya 2025 adopts the bold theme "Changing the World One Book At a Time." The event occupies 5,000 sqm, featuring children's literature, classics, business books, and mental health resources - with prices starting from just Rp 100.
"Why Surabaya first? We've been away too long - we didn't want the city to forget Big Bad Wolf exists," explained BBW Indonesia Director Marthius Wandi Budianto at the press conference in Surabaya Education Museum.
With 70% children's titles, the fair incorporates social transformation programs:
- "Top Spender" initiatives to reward avid readers
- BCA bank special offers for customers
- Multilingual collections bridging reading gaps
Founder Andrew Yap shared BBW's journey from Malaysia to 17 countries: "Our mission remains making books affordable and accessible to all."
Child psychologist and author Bunda Watiek Ideo emphasized: "Reading builds character early. Big changes start with small steps at home."
BCA's I Ketut Alam Wangsawijaya added, "Supporting BBW aligns with our long-term investment in Indonesia's literacy future."
In our screen-dominated era, BBW offers a meaningful escape - proving that while not every child becomes a writer, every child deserves the dreams that begin on a book's first page.