NorthSouth Visits Frankfurt
Associate publicist Gelsey Phaneuf shares her impressions on the international fair
As part of an international exchange, associate publicist of NorthSouth, Gelsey Phaneuf, spent time with colleagues from Swiss parent company NordSüd Verlag at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. Here she offers some insight into the international fair for US readers.
Hallo! Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany. I had the honor to visit the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 and spend time with my Swiss colleagues at NordSüd Verlag as they presented titles to agents, sold books to eager readers, and hosted artists for events. Below you can see two looks at the conference center courtyard, one before opening and another during the busy Friday afternoon when the fair is open to the public. This year, the fair had 238,000 visitors from 131 countries.
The NordSüd booth is a beautiful display of books and artwork. The signature walls feature recognizable characters and books from across the 60+ years of NordSüd picture book history, along with some award-winning front list titles. And as a bonus, you can see a small doorway in the center of the image–this is a hidden kitchen! It is nice to grab a cup of water or tea for a visitor to the booth. I enjoyed meeting with Vanessa Martini from Green Apple Books, visiting the fair on scholarship from Books Across Borders. Even in Europe, two Americans can find time to meet!
It was delightful to be in the booth during the weekend open hours, when families browsed and bought books on display. Some of the most popular titles included A Chest Full of Words, the Mouse Adventures series, and two titles coming out in the US in spring, 2026: What’s For Dinner? and Selma–The Story of a Stellar Spider.
One of the many highlights of the book fair was the German Children’s Literature Prize ceremony. The German edition of Me & the Magic Cube written by Daniel Fehr and illustrated by GOLDEN COSMOS was nominated in the non-fiction category. A special highlight is a student-led performance, when young actors bring to life the youth-nominated titles through dialogue and prop work. What a unique way to engage young adults in reading!
The Frankfurt Book Fair organizes children’s programming throughout the weekend for families to attend. NordSüd had two artists present to a roomful of children, families, and book lovers–Ruby Warnecke, the illustrator of Fabulous Creatures and Marcus Pfister, presenting the newest Rainbow Fish book, Rainbow Fish and the Great Escape. With the help from some young, eager audience members, Ruby drew a new “fabulous creature” (pictured below).
As the associate publicist of NorthSouth, I work with so many incredible international artists and most of the work we do together is done virtually. Sometimes an email exchange is simply not enough! So it was lovely to meet with many of our European artists during the fair. NordSüd colleagues and artists gathered for a celebratory dinner, where new friendships formed and collaborative bonds strengthened.
And it would not be an international fair without attending some educational sessions! Here are two I truly enjoyed: A panel of artists speaking about their Filipino children’s books, hosted by guest-of-honor country the Philippines, and a discussion called “Everything is Translation” hosted by the Ukrainian book stand.
Well, it was a successful and eye-opening book fair, and I didn’t even lug any heavy books back in my suitcase! Overall, I was amazed at the energy and crowds that came to the fair throughout the weekend, filling the halls with noise, laughter and conversation, and filling bags with books! When we question, do people still care about books?, the answer is a resounding YES!
Ciao!