BOLOGNA CHILDREN’S BOOK FAIR: THE 2025/26 GRAND TOUR COMES TO GUADALAJARA, WITH BOLOGNABOOKPLUS AND BOLOGNA LICENSING TRADE FAIR/KIDS

The fifth edition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Grand Tour is preparing for its next appointment: from 29 November to 7 December 2025, the fair will be at FIL – Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara. Together with BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the event for general publishing organised in collaboration with the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), and the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), the event focused on licensing and brands for children and young people, BCBF will be holding a programme of events ahead of its forthcoming edition, which is scheduled to take place at the Bologna Exhibition Centre from 13 to 16 April 2026.

At the BCBF stand (HH7 International Area) visitors from all over the world and in particular from Latin America, where FIL is the largest publishing event, will be able to find a selection of the best of recent Italian publishing at the exhibition Ibby Italia Choice 2025: Words, Images and Stories, the fourth selection of the best Italian releases for children and young adults, which includes titles published between June 2024 and July 2025, divided into the following categories: illustrated books, fiction, poetry, non-fiction, comics and graphic novels, as well as books for early childhood.

As is now tradition, BCBF will also be bringing to the Mexican fair some of its most successful initiatives designed to unearth and develop new illustration talent: these include The Illustrators Survival Corner, an area created in collaboration with Mimaster Illustrazione that hosts portfolio reviews and workshops designed for emerging artists, with activities taking place from 29 November to 3 December. And the new Bologna Portfolio Award, launched at the 2024 edition of FIL, aims to recognise the role of the portfolio as a key tool in the profession of the illustrator and to highlight its significance as a means of communication between illustrators and the main players in the publishing industry. The prize, which is open to those registered for the Corner’s portfolio reviews, will reward the winner with a trip to Bologna for the next edition of BCBF.

Thanks to the collaboration with FIL Guadalajara, this year BCBF’s involvement also extends to key initiatives at the Mexican fair: new for 2025 is the partnership with FILustra, an important space in which to exchange ideas, reflect and access professional development in the field of illustration, hosted at FIL and now in its twelfth edition. Through round tables, workshops and conferences, participants will explore the processes, collaborations and languages that shape ever-evolving illustrated projects, highlighting the power of illustration to build narratives, create experiences and expand into new visual territories.

At FILustra, BCBF collaborates with “From illustration to space” (30 November, 10am – 11:15am, Salón de Profesionales, Área Internacional), by bringing Valerio Vidali (illustrator, Italy) in conversation with  Ca_teter (Jorge Mato, illustrator, Uruguay), Negrescolor (illustrator, Spain) and Mujer Gallina (author and illustrator, Chile), chaired by Maru Aguzzi (founder and director of Gran Salón México, Mexico), on the theme of how illustrated images come to life in urban, museum and performance spaces, transforming the public’s visual experience.

BCBF is also a part of the International Publishers and Professionals Forum, whose theme this year is “Children’s Literature Without Borders: Innovation, Inclusion and the Future”. As part of the programme, the director of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Elena Pasoli, will be opening the Forum (2 December, 4pm–4:15pm, Salón de Profesionales, Área Internacional) alongside Armando Montes de Santiago (General Coordinator of Exhibitors and Professionals FIL, Mexico) and Carolina Ballester (IBBY Executive Director, France). Later that same day, Pasoli will return to the Salón de Profesionales as the chair of a discussion with Jacqueline Woodson (multi-awarded author, USA) “What if we don't talk about it? Censorship, Silences and Tensions in Children’s Literature” (2 December, 5:15pm–6:15pm, Salón de Profesionales, Área Internacional), a conversation that explores the tensions, silences and challenges that permeate literature for children and young readers. This double involvement confirms BCBF’s role as an international reference point in the debate on the most pertinent and innovative issues in the sector.

Furthermore, BCBF is taking part in the event “From Manuscript to Readers: the Role of Literary Agents in Children’s and Young Adult Literature” (2 December, 6:15pm–7:15 pm, International Publishers Forum, Salón de Profesionales, Área Internacional), with Pablo de la Vega (Base tres, Mexico), Sergio Ruzzier (author, Italy) and Ivan Canu (author and illustrator, Italy), chaired by Vivian Lavín (journalist and literary agent, Chile).

Finally, BCBF is calling on the international children’s book community attending FIL to join the conversation “Artistic Creation and at-Risk Childhoods”: the panel will explore how conflict and inequality influence artistic creation for children and young people (2 December, 3pm – 3:50pm, Foro de Industria – Corridor HH – Área Internacional). Speakers include: Dolores Prades (founder, director and editor of Instituto Emília, Brazil), Adolfo Córdova (author, Mexico), Negrescolor (author and illustrator, Spain), Sara Bertrand (author, Chile) and Amanda Mijango (author and illustrator, Mexico).

The tour offers an opportunity not only to expand and consolidate participants’ networks of international contacts through meetings with stakeholders, strategic partners and key industry players, but also to gain an enriched perspective through new stimuli that can inspire brand new proposals and activities. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair Grand Tour of the world’s leading book fairs was launched in 2021 thanks to the support and collaboration of ITA – the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.