BOLOGNA CHILDREN’S BOOK FAIR AT THE 2024 FRANKFURTER BUCHMESSE

The fourth edition of the Bologna Grand Tour, the international tour made possible thanks to the support and collaboration of ITA- the Italian Trade Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is now approaching its second stage. The Grand Tour serves to showcase the Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s (BCBF) best initiatives and bolster relationships with foreign operators, promoting their engagement with Italian publishing and expanding BCBF’s network of international relations ahead of the next edition of the Fair (scheduled to take place in Bologna from 31 March to 3 April 2025).

Once again for this edition, BCBF will be accompanied on its tour by BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the initiative aimed at generalist publishers and organised in collaboration with the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE), and by Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), the event developed to foster connections between the worlds of publishing and licensing.

From 16 to 20 October, the fair will therefore be attending with a stand (Hall 5.0 - Stand A98) at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the world’s leading event for professionals in the general book industry.

The scheduled initiatives include the exhibition “Ibby Italia 2024. A Selection of Italian Books”, a showcase of 65 children’s books chosen by the Italian section of IBBY - International Board on Books for Young People, featuring some of the best works published in Italy in the last two years (2023/24). The exhibition will also feature a special section on “Books about books: a category conceived, on the occasion of Italy Guest of Honour, for those interested in studying and promoting children’s literature. The exhibition, an important opportunity to raise the profile of Italian production for children and young people on the Frankfurt stage, will be hosted at the BCBF stand. Guided tours by experts in the sector will be available for visitors.

On Thursday 17 October at 5.30 pm, the BCBF stand will also welcome publishing professionals for a networking session that will also feature a preview of the forthcoming edition of BCBF, BBPlus and BLTF/Kids.

The highlight event for BCBF in Frankfurt 2024, however, will be the exhibition “From illustration to comics: pencils in young talented hands”, the Guest of Honour Country programme’s only illustration exhibition, showcasing young talents of contemporary Italian illustration at the Italian Pavilion. The exhibition also underlines BCBF’s role as a world-leading event in the field of illustration as acknowledged by AIE, Italy Country Guest of Honour and the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner Mauro Mazza. A position achieved thanks to more than sixty years of experience in the field of publishing for children and young people, and through initiatives that have made history and earned global recognition.

Curated by Accademia Drosselmeier and organised by BolognaFiere/Bologna Children’s Book Fair/BolognaBookPlus with the collaboration of AIE, the exhibition aims to offer the world’s publishers gathered at the Buchmesse a window onto contemporary Italian illustration. The works of thirty young talents will feature in a showcase of a genuinely excellent artistic scene. The exhibition will be accompanied by a bilingual magazine/catalogue, a collection of texts, reflections and interviews with the illustrators, in addition to a conversation between Ivan Canu – one of the curators of the selection – and Lorenzo Mattotti (the artist who created the poster for Italy Guest of Honour) that will be distributed free of charge to the public in Frankfurt. The exhibition will be presented on 16 October at 1.30 pm in a meeting at the Literary Café, and on 16 and 17 October visitors will be able to take part in guided tours with the exhibition curators.

Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF)

Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the world’s leading trade fair dedicated to publishing and content for children. Attended by 1,500 exhibitors, it attracts around 30,000 visiting professionals from almost 100 countries. Now in its 62^nd edition, each year BCBF attracts an international public of publishers, agents, developers, illustrators, authors, booksellers, librarians and other professionals involved not only in the book industry, but also in multimedia and children’s content licensing.

BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus)

BolognaBookPlus is an initiative for professionals in the general book industry launched in 2021 by BCBF/BolognaFiere, in collaboration with the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE), to expand the scope of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair by reaching out to a wider audience in the field of publishing with an exhibition space, training events, conferences and prizes for book design.

Bologna Licensing Trade Fair Kids (BLTF/Kids)

The Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids is the leading Italian and European licensing event specifically for brands for children, teens and young adults. The event is aimed at fostering relationships between the worlds of publishing and consumer goods. BLTF /Kids is extending its activities to connect various different media by hosting two of BCBF’s key initiatives: the TV/Film Rights Centre and the brand new Games Business Centre. The event held its 17^th edition in 2024 and is an integral part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF).