BOLOGNA CHILDREN’S BOOK FAIR
The Fair’s commitment to promoting reading and literacy worldwide: BCBF invited to Brussels for the launch of the European Literacy Coalition.
Last week, in Brussels, Bologna Children’s Book Fair took part in the launch of the European Literacy Coalition, a new European Commission initiative that brings together organisations from the fields of education, culture, publishing, libraries, health, digital media and other sectors, with the aim of creating a network to strengthen literacy across Europe.
Bologna Children’s Book Fair was invited to take part in the event to share its experience as the world’s leading trade fair for the sector of publishing for children and young adults. This invitation bears witness to and recognises BCBF’s commitment to promoting initiatives and tools that support reading amongst the younger generations: a mission that the Fair has always championed, also as a founding member of the Italian section of IBBY – International Board on Books for Young People.
In light of the rapid changes that are transforming the way we read, BCBF’s commitment is attracting ever more attention and resources, and is giving rise to new projects, such as the Digital Narratives Observatory, promoted jointly with Literacy Italia – with the support of ITA – the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) – and presented during the 2026 edition of BCBF. The Observatory was established from the observation that children and young people today encounter stories through a variety of forms and media, such as audiobooks and podcasts, enriched books and e-books, interactive and immersive stories, apps and narrative video games. Its aim is to monitor, map and interpret the transformations of digital storytelling for children and young people, foster dialogue between research, publishing and educational practices, and provide guidance tools for those who create, publish and disseminate stories in a context where print and digital are increasingly intertwined.
Also as part of the 2026 edition, the Fair organised the international conference on the promotion of reading “Building the next generation of readers: best practices and policies for the promotion of reading”, with the Italian Publishers’ Association (AIE) and in collaboration with the French Syndicat national de l’édition (SNE), the Federation of European Publishers (FEP), the International Publishers Association (IPA) and the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). The conference was conceived to showcase and encourage the dissemination of best practices from around the world in the promotion of reading, and to reflect on the role of European and international policies.
Building on these initiatives, BCBF’s commitment continues as we look ahead to the sixty-fourth edition, at BolognaFiere from 5 to 8 April 2027: plans include the creation of a new space dedicated to best practices in reading promotion, where representatives from different countries can meet to showcase the worthy initiatives and projects implemented in their respective national contexts. A venue for exchange designed to foster collaboration and the fruitful cross-fertilisation of ideas, with the common goal of promoting a love of reading amongst the younger generations.