2024 Event Programme

Pre-registration required on BBPlus website.

How to participate.

Pre-registration required on BBPlus website.

How to participate.

Explore the importance of networking and collaboration in the publishing industry. Discuss how female publishers have built supportive networks and collaborations to enhance their professional growth.

Japanese publishing giant Kodansha is a leading producer of manga IP. In recent years, they have been developing licensing strategies that help to extend their IPs beyond manga to become iconic brands applied to consumer products and beyond. At the centre of the interview, discussions regarding the strategies behind the crossover of Kodansha content and consumer product development, the wave of major international trends around manga, and enlighten the audience with interesting and current ones to follow.

Ana Maraž and Marta Bartolj are Slovenia-based illustrators. The workshop offers a creative mix of techniques from both artists. Let’s explore and play with the combination of collage and drawing.

Upon reservation only on Eventbrite.

A presentation of the latest available data of the Italian publishing market to foreign operators: sales, titles published, translation rights sold. Followed by an insight on the children’s book market, its growth despite the demographic crisis, the differences among age groups, the role of internationalisation.

Winner The Extraordinary Award... For An Extraordinary Book: Bambini nascosti (Hidden Children), Vànvere edizioni, Italy. Text and illustrations by Franco Matticchio.

The Extraordinary Award for an Extraordinary Book is a special prize by Bologna Children's Book Fair created to acknowledge a title that has touched the Jury in an exceptional way.

Toddler Winner: Dia de Lua (Moon Day), Jujuba Editora, Brazil, 2023. Text and Illustrations by Renato Moriconi.

Through digital media, children and young adults experience new forms of reading and storytelling, within complex narrative worlds in which books are joined by movies and TV series, webcomics and webnovels, podcasts and audiobooks, immersive and interactive stories. Now in its 4th edition, the BolognaRagazzi CrossMedia Award explores these new forms of storytelling, selecting the best cross-media projects and the most effective screen reading experiences for children and teenagers.

An in-depth exploration of the Society of Illustrators' rich history, impactful work, and insights into the esteemed juried Original Art Show. Learn about its history, evolution, and medalists.

Find out more about The Illustrators Survival Corner.

The exhibition "Chinese Excellence in Children’s Illustration" showcases the best contemporary Chinese illustrators selected each year by a different Jury of leading Chinese and international experts, to present them to the international publishing community at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The exhibition 2024 (HALL 30, B46-C33) and the catalogue feature the 15 artists selected by the Jury: 3 winners and 12 finalists.

Talking Pictures, a project curated by Steven Guarnaccia and Hamelin, investigates the best international visual book production, seeking innovation in illustration and publishing, and promoting alla forms of experimentation in picture books. For BolognaBookPlus, Talking Pictures focuses on the Ukrainian visual book scene. Ukraine has a very important and still too little-known tradition in the field of printmaking, illustration and design. Its visual books production is of the highest quality, and now seems like the right time to showcase it. This masterclass explores this production, highlighting both its historical perspectives and new trends in the contemporary market.

Find out more about The Illustrators Survival Corner.

Children's books about sustainability serve as a powerful tool to introduce global issues to young audiences, inspiring them to become active participants in creating a sustainable future. This session, composed of publishers, scientists, authors, and international advocates will look at how children’s books can help convey complex ideas about the impact of our actions on the environment and empower kids to start making a difference in their communities from an early age. The panel discussion is complemented by an exhibition of some of the best environmentally themed children's books from all over the world (HALL 30). This event is in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, a framework for a better future for all by the United Nations. Inspired by the SDG Book Club, a collaboration of the United Nations, the International Publishers Association, the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the European & International Booksellers Federation, the International Board on Books for Young People, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

Gaming, along with publishing and audiovisual, is clearly one of the sources of original children's content that is then licensed to develop successful IPs. Gaming is also one of the media from which audiovisual producers and publishers acquire content to develop animation, live action, featured films and book series. Today gaming is central to communicating with a young audience that is increasingly fragmented and distracted and distant from mainstream. In this panel we discuss with some of the international protagonists of the gaming industry about their approach to connecting worlds such as licensing, audiovisual and publishing.

The exhibition "Chinese Excellence in Children’s Illustration" showcases the best contemporary Chinese illustrators selected each year by a different Jury of leading Chinese and international experts, to present them to the international publishing community at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The exhibition (HALL 30, B46-C33) and the catalogue feature the 15 artists selected by the Jury 2024: 3 winners and 12 finalists.

The IBBY Press Conference presents the work of IBBY throughout the year and highlights its most important events, including the 39th IBBY World Congress (Trieste, Italy, 30 Aug - 1 Sept, 2024) and the 2024 International Children's Book Day. It is also the much-expected occasion to discover the winners of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award and the IBBY Reading Promotions Awards.

Opera Prima winner: Ko darīt, ja esi kails pilsētā (What to Do If You Are Naked in a City?), Janis Roze Publishers, Latvia, 2023. Text and Illustrations by Aleksandra Runde.

New Horizons SPECIAL JURY PRIZE Winner: 回憶見 (See You in Memories), Pen So Artlab, Hong Kong, China, 2022. Text and Illustrations by Pen So.

Presentation of the finalists of the 2024 Silent Book Contest - Gianni De Conno Award, the first international competition dedicated to the wordless book, this year in its 11th edition.

For the 7th edition, the Bologna Licensing Awards will be announced at a dedicated event at the heart of the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids. The award is a unique achievement, as it rewards the most innovative projects based on children and teen brands and products at an international level.

From Bologna to the cover of The New York Times: what opportunities exist for young comic artists and illustrators seeking careers overseas? How does one secure positions with some of the largest American magazines? This panel provides a practical guide for those aiming to launch international careers, drawing from the experiences of three young Italian talents who, starting in Bologna, are making names for themselves in the USA.

"L'occhio del mondo", Italian leg of L'œil du monde, involves 12 independent picture book publishers from around the world: A Buen Paso (Spain), Bakame (Rwanda), Baobab (Czech Republic), Jaimimage (South Korea), Magikon (Norway), MeMo (France), One Stroke (Japan), Petra Ediciones (Mexico), Planeta Tangerina (Portugal), Tara Books (India), Topipittori (Italy), and Wytwórnia (Poland). Twelve publishers as diverse as the countries they are from, but united by a common vision of childhood. Created in 2023 by Éditions MeMo, L'œil du monde celebrates a year of activities in libraries, public schools, and associations in every one of the twelve countries. This round table is the opportunity to present the results of the project, and reflect on the role of independent publishing in an increasingly multilingual world. L'occhio del mondo, Italian leg of L'œil du monde, co-financed by the "Creative Europe" project of the EU. First created by Éditions MeMo, L'occhio del mondo is curated by Topipittori and Hamelin.

Digitalization is one of the fastest accelerators of change in human history. The World Wide Web, social media and the explosive growth of English as a global language of communication connect us across geographical and linguistic boundaries; thanks to the unprecedented development of natural sciences, we are looking into the deepest darknesses of the universe and exploring the secrets of the human genome; even more so, we have developed virtually intelligent machines that could immeasurably accelerate scientific development in the coming decades and change the current rules in the process of creating textual content. But we also live in a time when stupidity and vulgarity are not only on public display but are becoming a political virtue, and social media enclose us in bubbles where we lose sense of the differences between facts and beliefs, arguments and biases, ideologies and scientific methods. How to understand such a complex, fluid and entangled world? And how does book publishing fit into all of this? How to communicate all these complexities in book formats without getting lost in simplifications? And what role does higher level reading play in understanding the complexity of today's world? Is it an obscure intellectual technique that is becoming obsolete, or is it something that cannot be replaced by a range of new media activities, and we need to rethink its position both in publishing and in the cultural landscape as a whole?.

Pre-registration required on BBPlus website.

How to participate.

Learn about the experiences of female publishers in leadership positions. Discussing the challenges of breaking into leadership roles, navigating gender biases, and fostering diversity in publishing.

Pre-registration required on BBPlus website.

How to participate.

Join us for an event with globally-renowned artist and internationally bestselling author, Oliver Jeffers, discussing with Mara Pace the 20th anniversary of Oliver’s debut in his picture book making.

Find out more about The Illustrators Survival Corner.

Benjamin Lacombe and Sébastien Perez, authors of L'enfance des méchants, des vilaines & des affreux (L'infanzia dei cattivi. O come divennero così malefici, Ippocampo Edizioni) analyse the characteristics of the villain in children's literature. With Martina Russo (Andersen).

Find out more about The Illustrators Survival Corner.

Fiction winner: Kintsugi, Libros del Zorro Rojo, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, CD de México, 2023, Text and Illustrations by Issa Watanabe.

Non-Fiction winner: Myko (Myco), Baobab, Czech Republic, 2023, Text by Jiří Dvořák, Illustrations by Daniela Olejníková.

Covering almost three quarters of our planet’s surface, the sea is the Earth’s largest ecosystem. Some scientists even call Earth “the Ocean Planet.” And while the planet’s oceans may seem to exist separately, in reality, the oceans are one interconnected body of water. It is this one great sea that makes life possible, and the same sea that each of us around the globe must share and nurture. The sea is not static, empty space: Just as it is constantly reshaped by marine life and geology, it is also transformed through politics and human initiatives. This international round table will explore how children's books today address the momentous presence and multifaceted impact of the sea on human life and society. We will discuss how books can make scientific and ecological investigation of the sea come alive for children; how books can help children explore the role of the sea in socio-political phenomena such as migrations; and how the timeless lore of the sea has shaped storytelling across cultures. Convening a distinguished group of publishers, scientists, authors, and international advocates, this session will highlight the many rigorous, brilliant, and aesthetically elevated children’s books across the globe that reveal the deep interconnectivity between human life, marine life, and the irreplaceable sea. This event is linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Book Club and to the BolognaRagazzi Award 2024 Special Category, dedicated to the best international illustrated books about the Sea.

In the increasingly vibrant landscape of young adult comics, Jérémie Moreau is single handedly creating a new paradigm. Striking a meticulous balance between fantasy and realism, tradition and experimentation, his comic books manage to talk to young readers about the uncertainty of a world marked by planetary emergencies, and to imagine the future that awaits us.

Announcement of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2024, broadcast live from Stockholm.

When we talk about comics we automatically think of France, Belgium, the United States, Japan... But Slovenia, guest country of Bologna Children's Book Fair 2024, is one of the most original and surprising hubs for European independent comics. This panel is both a conversation between Stripburger, whose magazine has been bringing the best of Slovenian comics to Europe and vice versa for more than 30 years, and comic artist Izar Lunacek, among the organizers of Tinta Comics Fest.