From the Editors

Letters
To the Reader
Ismail Kadare

Historicity and Nature-Text and Image: The Game of Oppositions in Greek Illustrated Books
Alexandra Zervou

Contemporary Albanian Literature's Quest for a New Identity
Klara Kodra

Bulgarian Children's Literature: Tradition and Future
Bozhanka Konstantinova

A Literature in Transition: Romanian Children's Books after 1989
Marina Debattista

New Trends in Children's Literature in Turkey Today
Gülçin Alpöge

Publishing in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Muhamad Sarajli'c

Other Voices
Along the Via Dolorosa of Transition-and Beyond: Children's Book Illustration in Bulgaria, Greece, Yugoslavia, and the FYROM
Elena Popova

Regular Features
Focus IBBY
International Children's Book Day 2002 o Climbing Up Book by Book o Candidates for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2002 o IBBY-Asahi Promotion Award 2002 o Biennale of Illustrations Bratislava 2001

Country Survey: Greece
Society, History, and the Environment: Contemporary Concerns in Greek Children's Literature
Ada Katsiki-Givalou

Author Spotlight: A Portrait of Zvonimir Balog
Dubravka Tezak

Svetlana Makarovic and the Illustrators of Her Children's Books
Marjana Kobe and Marusa Avgustin

Professional Literature

News and Announcements
For the first time before an international audience, Bookbird dedicates an entire issue to literature from South-Eastern Europe for children and young people. This region of the world shares a rich history dating back to ancient civilizations. Literature for children in this region emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century from deep roots in the folk tradition and continues as a combination of tradition and modernity. The countries represented in this issue reflect diversity of cultures, religions, standards of living, and political systems but also display surprising similarities reflected in the development of literature for children and adolescents.

We offer special recognition and appreciation to Lilia Ratcheva-Stratieva, Bookbird co-editor, and the IBBY Sections of Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia, and Turkey for their conceptualization and contributions to this issue.

Evelyn B. Freeman, Barbara A. Lehman, Lilia Ratcheva-Stratieva, and Patricia L. Scharer

Issue Consultants: Loty Petrovits, Svetlin Stratiev D. Phil. (Oxon)

This issue has been prepared with the support of KulturKontakt, Austria.

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