First of all the names, and there are some unmissable ones. Like the explosive couple formed by Julia Donaldson e Axel Scheffler, authors of a masterpiece like The Gruffalo, a bestseller with 28 million copies, translated into more than 100 languages, which has won over – and continues to do so – generations of young readers and which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. For the occasion its creators will stage during the 61st edition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fairnaturally in Bologna this year from 8 to 11 April, one of the shows for which they are known and loved around the world. But with them there are many international guests to keep an eye on expected at the Bolognese event.
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For example, German Ulrich Hubauthor and theater director, or the Dutch transplanted to the ice of Norway Bird Phase, who dedicated her latest book to the wild nature of the Arctic that surrounds her Somewhere in the snow, brought to Italy from Clichy. But also the Swedes Emma Adbåge, Andersen Prize in 2020 with The hole (Camelozampa), and Jenny Jägerfeld, psychologist and writer often considered Ulf Stark’s heir; The French Olivier Tallec e Benjamin Lacombe; the Flemish Bart Moeyaert, winner in 2019 of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, considered the Nobel of children’s literature, and the Brazilian linguist and children’s writer Victor DO Santos who dedicated his latest book to the importance of language – he studied 10 of them: The most precious thing (Middle Earths).
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While among Italians notable names stand out such as Beatrice Alemagna, Davide Calì e Lorenzo Mattotti.
After the festive 2023 edition, which celebrated 60 years of the event, the pavilions of Bologna Fairs they look forward to this year further 1500 exhibitors from about 100 countries and regions of the world. Among the new entries: Angola, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Colombia, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Principality of Monaco, Moldova, Paraguay, Philippines, Togolese Republic and Uganda. While the guest country of honor will be there Slovenia.
New for 2024, the collaboration with the United Nations with shared initiatives between sustainability, seas and children’s rights, an exhibition of the best titles dedicated to sustainability issues and a collective reading of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, in which authors and illustrators from all over the world will take part, each reading in your own language. But let’s see in more detail what we will talk about especially this year.
Themes and focus
Sustainability, artificial intelligenceeyes focused on Chinese and emerging marketsAfrica, comics: the major themes that will be addressed this year, with debates, panels, round tables, comparisons and insights, as always have the flavor ofactuality. Starting with one of the most complex challenges to which we are all called, from an early age, namely that of putting a stop to the exploitation of our Planet. For example, the round table is part of this trend, in collaboration with IPA – International Publishers Association, “Reading for the Planet: Children’s Books for a Sustainable Future” (8 April) which examines how books for young readers can help convey complex ideas about the impact of our actions onenvironment and to empower children to start making a difference in their communities from an early age.
Of the importance of mari for human life and the problem of microplastics, touching on the issue of migration, we will instead talk about it in “The Ocean Planet: The Science, Politics, and Culture of the Sea in Children’s Books” (April 9).
Meetings that focus onartificial intelligence and the prospects that this opens up in the publishing world, starting with the debate “Intellectual Property in the Age of AI: Challenges and Implications” on the protection of copyright to end up with the creation of a shared document to request a regulation on the use of artificial intelligence starting from a series of posters developed by various international organizations in defense of the rights of illustrators.
Nor is there a lack of appointments to reflect on the themes ofAfricanity beyond stereotypes and culture indigeneas well as great attention to Chinese, which has always had an important link with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and which this year is represented by over 100 exhibitors. Among the main innovations of this edition comes Chinese Excellence in Children’s Illustration to showcase the best contemporary Chinese illustrators whose works will be on display during the fair.
The commitment to identifying and promoting developments in the sector continues comics and graphic novels – among the most dynamic and innovative, as well as the fastest and most widely expanding, of the contemporary publishing sector – with the Comics Corner: among this year’s novelties, the focus on the success of Italian comics in the USA and comics for very young children at the center of the meeting “Absolute beginners. Comics win over young readers” (April 10).
The prizes for the Italians
As always, the expected return BolognaRagazzi Awardsthis year with the highest numbers ever: 3355 candidate titles from 65 countries and regions of the world, including Armenia, Benin, Costa Rica, Haiti, Macao, Puerto Rico, Thailand who nominated their titles for the competition for the first time this year. There are five main categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Opera Prima, Comics e Toddler. Alongside the main ones, one or more special categories are proposed every year. For the 2024 edition, they are I Mari e The Extraordinary Award for an Extraordinary Booka special prize created to highlight a title that has touched the jury in an exceptional way: the Italian Hidden children Of Franco Matticchio, published by Vànvere Edizioni.
And many of this year’s winners are Italian, like Down in the blue – From the surface to the depths: a browsable submarine journey Of Gianumberto Accinelliillustrated by Giulia Zaffaroni, published by Nomos which wins the special category I Mari; while winner in the category Comics Young Adult is The Tale of the Rock by GoodDì (Benedetta D’Incau) published by Coconino Press.
The exhibitions
From the Show Illustrators which blows out 58 candles this year, among the longest-running and most successful initiatives of the fair, founded in 1967 as a showcase to discover and highlight every year the best of world illustration, the Chinese excellences in children’s illustration; from the tribute to Mauro Evangelista, refined artist, three times Andersen prize, Emanuele Luzzati prize for illustration and for over twenty years a close collaborator of the fair, a few months after his death, at Silent Book Contest – Gianni De Conno, this year in its 11th edition, dedicated to the figure of the great Italian illustrator and organized by Carthusia: as always, there are many and varied exhibitions that can be admired while walking through the pavilions of the fair. Not to be missed, in the BolognaBookPlus area dedicated to generalist publishing, is the exhibition Jackets Off, with the different interpretations of the cover of War and peace published all over the world.
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– 2024-04-03 22:22:56
