Bologna Book Fair preview
The 63rd Bologna Children’s Book Fair is due April 13–16 and, notably, will — for the first time outside the U.S. — display a selection of Society of Illustrators 'Books' gold and silver medal winners from 2022–2026. Alongside that, Bookstorm, a Nigerian illustration initiative born from a Bologna partnership, is being highlighted as a program aiming to boost children’s books that reflect Nigerian cultures and realities. (publishingperspectives.com) (publishingperspectives.com)
A children’s book fair in Italy is about to do something the United States has kept at home until now: hang Society of Illustrators medal-winning book art in Bologna instead of New York. The 63rd Bologna Children’s Book Fair opens April 13 and runs through April 16, 2026, at the Bologna Exhibition Centre. (publishingperspectives.com) (bolognachildrensbookfair.com) The show is not a random sample from one season. Bologna says it will display a selection of gold and silver medal winners from the “Books” section of the Society of Illustrators Annual Illustrators Competition across five editions, from 2022 through 2026. (publishingperspectives.com) (bolognachildrensbookfair.com) That matters inside publishing because Bologna is not a public fan convention. It is one of the main global trading floors for children’s books, where publishers, agents, illustrators, scouts, and rights teams meet to buy, sell, and export stories across languages. (bolognachildrensbookfair.com) (bolognawelcome.com) This year’s fair is also sprawling in plain numbers. Regional organizers say about 1,500 publishers will be represented and the 2026 program runs past 500 events over the four days. (istruzioneer.gov.it) (bolognachildrensbookfair.com) The Society of Illustrators piece is only half the story. Bologna is also using this year’s fair to spotlight Bookstorm, a Nigerian illustration project that grew out of a partnership with the fair rather than arriving as an outside guest. (publishingperspectives.com) Bookstorm was created by Nigerian writer and publisher Lola Shoneyin, who also founded the Book Buzz Foundation and the Aké Arts and Book Festival. Publishing Perspectives describes the project as two years old and focused on helping create children’s books that reflect “the realities, cultures, and dreams of Nigerian children.” (publishingperspectives.com) (publishersglobal.com) The practical model is training, not just promotion. The Book Buzz Foundation says Bookstorm ran a 10-week illustration course with Bologna Children’s Book Fair and Mimaster Illustrazione Milan for 16 Nigerian artists, built around portfolio work for a story called “Zizah is Different.” (bookbuzzfoundation.org) That story is specific about whose life gets pictured. The foundation says “Zizah is Different” introduces readers to a neurodivergent Nigerian boy and his family, which turns the project from a generic art workshop into a pipeline for locally rooted children’s books. (bookbuzzfoundation.org) So Bologna’s preview is really showing two different routes into the same market. One route brings in already decorated winners from the Society of Illustrators, and the other tries to build the next generation of children’s book illustrators from Nigeria through training, portfolios, and international fair access. (publishingperspectives.com 1) (publishingperspectives.com 2)
