This year marked the opening of the second decade of the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF), the only professional publishing fair dedicated to the trade in rights and the promotion of content for children and young people in the Asia Pacific area. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) has been co-organiser of the event since 2018 in collaboration with its Chinese partners, with whom it shares its sixty plus years of know-how as the world’s reference event for children’s publishing.
With strategic support from Bologna and the wealth of global connections that have become part of BolognaFiere’s DNA, CCBF has grown to represent a genuine hub for international publishing in an area of the world that is seeing substantial transformation. The event therefore represents a strategic showcase for those seeking to seize the opportunities of the Asian market. BCBF, in its role as a promoter of the global children’s publishing industry, has in fact stimulated new and original production of Chinese picture books that stand out on the international scene for their fusion of traditional Oriental aesthetics and modern multicultural voices.
Marco Polo. Traveller, merchant, storyteller: on the occasion of the seven hundredth anniversary of the death of the great traveller, merchant and storyteller who was the first to act as a bridge between Italy and China, a selection of international titles for children and young people (curated by Giannino Stoppani Cooperativa Sociale/Accademia Drosselmeier) guided visitors on a journey through time and space to explore the life of Marco Polo, thus celebrating the bond that has linked the two cultures for centuries. Accompanying the exhibition was the lectio magistralis ‘Marco Polo’s Description of the World and its Readers: A Travel Account Mistaken for a Fantasy Book’ in which Professor Alessandro Barbero explained how Marco Polo’s travel diary has become a true work of legendary fantasy for future generations. The event was chaired by Ivan Canu (illustrator and Director of Mimaster Illustration) and included an opening address by Elena Pasoli (Director of Bologna Children’s Book Fair) and Professor Francesco D’Arelli (Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Shanghai). The meeting was held in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Shanghai, as was the book exhibition and the lectio magistralis Professor Barbero gave at the prestigious Shanghai Library, one of the world’s largest libraries.
A Fabulous Wardrobe. Fashion, Clothing and Threads in Children’s Picture Books: created with the patronage of the University of Bologna’s Rimini Campus, the exhibition showcases a selection of books featuring the best of children’s publishing, divided into 6 sections, with a total of 150 books from 21 countries. The exhibition path will follow the traces of embroidery and explore patterns that take on surprising shapes and ever-changing identities, investigating the relationship between childhood and clothing, between dressing and being dressed, evoking real and imagined wardrobes by discovering epochs, styles, techniques, anecdotes and languages of fashion from every era, in an endless game of quotations and cross-references. A journey through so many different aspects of the relationship between fashion, childhood and storytelling, because in the colourful and well-designed world of children’s books, fashion goes beyond being an art form, inspiring and nourishing the sensibilities and innovative thinking of the youngest children.
Accompanying the exhibition was the conference “A Fabulous Wardrobe: Threads of Imagination. Where Children’s Books Meet Textiles and Fashion”, a discussion between publishing professionals chaired by Silvana Sola (Professor of History of Illustration, ISIA Urbino) and Marcella Terrusi (Professor at the Department of Sciences for the Quality of Life, University of Bologna), both co-curators of the exhibition together with Mariaelena Schiavo (Special Projects Manager Bologna Children's Book Fair). Speakers include: Justyna Karpinska (Senior Foreign Rights Manager, Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry, Poland), Jon Klassen (author and illustrator, USA), Giulia Rizzo (Deputy Editorial Director, Terre di mezzo, Italy), Kristian Steinberg (Director of Education, Istituto Marangoni Shanghai, Sweden), Emily Sutton (artist, illustrator, Print Maker, UK), Wu Binrong (Hua'er) (author, editor, curator, China) Xiao Aozi (artist, Associate Professor, School of Design and Art, Hunan University, China). The conference will be followed by a guided tour of the exhibition.
For the 2024 edition of CCBF The Illustrators' Survival Corner is back, featuring a packed schedule of activities dedicated to the art of illustration.
This year’s esteemed guests include Jon Klassen, Gui Tuzi, Emily Sutton, Maeva Rubli, Cai Ydong, Cathy Olmedillas, Cai Gao, Xiao Aozi, Xiong Liang, and Michel van Zeveren.
The masterclasses covered topics such as creativity and picture book design, exploring the unique world of silent books, the impact of digital media on children’s storytelling models, and current international trends in picture books.
Beyond picture books, there was a significant focus on editorial illustration for children and young adults, as well as insights into the licensing market for products like stationery and design objects.
The workshop series, on the other hand, offered participants hands-on experiences, including sequential storytelling, character design, style exploration, and the visualization of emotions.
In recognition of the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death, the Survival Corner program, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute – Shanghai, presented a special masterclass. This session, hosted by authors Elia Mazzantini and Alessio D’Uva, told Marco Polo’s journey through the language of comics.
As always, numerous portfolio review sessions with international publishers were available, fostering connections between illustrators and the publishing industry.
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GLOBAL RIGHTS EXCHANGE
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