BCBF Events Programme

WINNER OF 2020 H.C. ANDERSEN AWARD AND AUTHOR OF 2021 ILLUSTRATORS ANNUAL COVER.

BCBF hosts every other year the winners of two prestigious children’s book awards in the arts, the BIB – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, to create the cover of the Illustrators Annual: the catalogue collecting all the works of the artists selected for the Illustrators Exhibition.

The 2021 Illustrators Annual cover has been created by Albertine (Switzerland), winner of H.C. Andersen Award. 

A virtual tour of Albertine's solo exhibition can be enjoyed online at the BCBF Galleries.

Albertine, Illustrator, Switzerland; Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna, Italy.

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna, Italy

Cheryl Chan, Chief Editor Yes Creative Ltd./Papa Publishing House, Taiwan; Lin Lian-En, Author, Taiwan; Rhea Lin, Marketing editor, Yes Creative Ltd./Papa Publishing House, Taiwan 

Winner of the 2019 International Award For Illustration BCBF - Fundación SM

This award has been designed by BCBF and Fundación SM to discover, encourage and support new talents in illustration.

Reserved for artists under 35 that have already been selected for the Illustrators Exhibition, the Award offers the winner the opportunity to develop a picturebook to be published and released on the world market by the Spanish publisher SM. 

Sara Mazzetti's solo exhibition can be visited online at BCBF Galleries.

Sarah Mazzetti, Illustrator, Italy; Teresa Tellechea, Executive Editor Children’s Books, Grupo SM, Spain;

Join Anielizabeth, a Brazilian illustrator for a workshop on how to illustrate for Children’s Books. 

Organised by Brazilian Publishers & Câmara Brasileira do Livro and Promoted by ApexBrasil.

Anielizabeth, illustrator, Brazil

The 2021 IBBY Press Conference will share news about the current activities of IBBY worldwide. The event will include the launch of the new book: Bookbird. A Flight Through Time, which chronicles the history of IBBY’s journal Bookbird and with it, the history of IBBY. Another important part will be the launch of the 2021 IBBY Outstanding Selection of Books for Young People with Disabilities. The latest news from the 2021 IBBY Congress in Moscow will be presented by IBBY Russia, as well as news of the 38th IBBY Congress in Putrajaya in Malaysia 2022. News of the IBBY award programme and projects that are bringing children and books together across the world.

Mingzhou Zhang; Valerie Coghlan; Evie Freeman; Joan Glazer; Leigh Turina; Bonnie Ing; Denis Beznosov; Redza Khairuddin; Liz Page

ONE OF A KIND - Text and illustrations by Neil Packer; Walker Books, UK, 2021

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna, Italy

Beth Aves, Art Director, Walker Books, UK; Neil Packer, author, UK; Becky Watson, Editor, Walker Books, UK

VISIT THE 2021 ONLINE SILENT BOOK CONTEST EXHIBITION 

Elena Pasoli, director of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy; Patrizia Zerbi, publisher and editorial director of Carthusia, Italy

Walter Fochesato, expert in children's literature and illustration, Italy; Emanuela Bussolati, author and illustrator for children, Italy; Javier Zabala, author and illustrator for children, Spain; Eros Miari, Turin International Book Fair, Italy; Mussi Bollini, deputy director of RAI Ragazzi, Italy; Eugenio Tangerini, resp. External Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility for BPER Banca, Italy.

Video contributions by:
Costanza De Conno, organizational secretariat of the SBC, Italy; Sonja Riva, author and Swiss radio and television journalist, Switzerland; Sara Wang, International Literary Agent, China; Anastasia Suvorova, illustrator and winner of SBC 2018, Russia.

L’attenzione costantemente rivolta da Malerba alla scrittura per bambini e ragazzi e l’attualità del dibattito sulla cosiddetta “crisi della lettura” presso le giovani generazioni, hanno suggerito agli organizzatori del Premio l’idea di valorizzare opere particolarmente significative in questo campo della produzione editoriale.

Nostra grande aspirazione e ambizione è anche dare spazio e attenzione alla produzione di Albi Illustrati firmati da autori e autrici, illustratori e illustratrici nostrani e non come spesso accade tradotti.

Gioacchino De Chirico

Anna Malerba, Antonella Abbatiello, Giovanna Alatri, Anna Paola Barracco, Milena Bernardi, Lorenzo Cantatore, Caterina Cardona, Elisabetta Grigioni, Martino Negri, Giovanni Nucci, Cristina Taglietti, Nadia Terranova, Paola Vassalli.

BO it! Ripensando Bologna – Concorso Internazionale di Illustrazione

Renata Giannelli, direttrice artistica, BO it!; Annalisa Rosati, responsabile marketing e comunicazione, BO it!.

Emanuela Ciroldi, Cooperativa Nazareno; Elena Pasoli, Exhibition Manager, Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Elena Pasoli, Director of Bologna Children's Book Fair, interviews Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority

Elena Pasoli, Director of Bologna Children's Book Fair, Italy; Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, Sharjah UAE.

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna

Beppe Chia, Chialab Studio, Italy; Jean Mallard, Illustrator, France;

In conversation with jury chairman Boel Westin

Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Author, France; Boel Westin, ALMA Jury Chairman, Sweden.

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna, Italy

Kasya Denisevich, author, Russia/Spain; Naomi Kirsten, Senior Editor, Chronicle Books, USA

Announcement of the winners 2020 - 2021.
Have a look at the winning illustrations.

Denis Beznosov, Deputy Director of the Russian State Children's Library Russia 

Anastasia Arkhipova, President of the jury of the International contest “Image of the Book”  Russia

Nato a Genova nel l921, scenografo, costumista, illustratore, Emanuele Luzzati è uno dei più importanti interpreti della scena visiva internazionale. Il suo segno, fortemente riconoscibile, accompagna libri per ragazzi, magiche strutture per il palcoscenico, indimenticabili film d’animazione. Luzzati ha basato il suo lavoro su una eccezionale capacità di mescolare linguaggi, tecniche, stili, materiali, culture. Una ricerca artistica che è una grande “narrazione” per uno dei protagonisti della creatività italiana del secondo Novecento.

Antonella Abbatiello, autrice e illustratrice; Pino Boero, docente di letteratura per l'infanzia, Università di Genova; Lorenzo Cantatore, docente di letteratura per l'infanzia, Università Roma Tre.

Ilaria Tontardini, Hamelin, Italy

Marion Bataille, Author and graphic designer, France

The 2021 Exhibition “The Children-Spectators” organised within the framework of the “Mapping – A map on the aesthetics of performing arts for early years” received 584 illustrations from 61 countries aand territories. 

The Jury selected 35 illustrations from 20 countries that are now part of the exhibition “The Children-Spectators” to be discovered online in the Exhibitions section of BCBF 2021 alongside the rwo previous editions. 

Event organised within the framework of the Mapping project - Co-founded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna

Roberto Frabetti, La Baracca Testoni Ragazzi Theatre; Giorgia Grilli, University of Bologna; Giulia Orecchia, Illustrator; Maurizio Quarello, Illustrator.

Cajita de Fósforos. Antología de Poemas sin Rima

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna, Italy 

Adolfo Córdova, Author, Mexìco; Maria Francisca Mayobre, Publisher, Ediciones Ekaré, Spain/Venezuela; Ana Palmero, Art Director, Ediciones Ekaré, Spain/Venezuela; Juan Palomino, Illustrator, Argentina

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna

Atak/Georg Barber, Graphic designer and Illustrator, Professor of Illustration at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle, Germany; Beatrice Alemagna, Illustrator, Italy; Suzanne Carnell, Publisher, Two Hoots, UK; Kiyoko Matsuoka, Director Itabashi Art Museum (Tokyo), Japan; Maria Russo, Editorial Director of minedition US, USA

Announcement of the winners 2020 - 2021.
Have a look at the winning illustrations.

Denis Beznosov, Deputy Director of the Russian State Children's Library Russia  

Anastasia Arkhipova, President of the jury of the International contest “Image of the Book”  Russia 

Mauro Evangelista, Director Ars In Fabula, Italy; Walter Fochesato, expert in Children's Literature and History of Illustration, teacher at Ars In Fabula, Italy

D. Luis Fernando Crespo, President SM; Elena Pasoli, BCBF Exhibition Manager.

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna, Italy

David Böhm, illustrator, Czech Republic; Jiří Franta, illustrator, Czech Republic; Petra Nováková, editor, Labyrint, Czech Republic; Osamu Okamura, author, Japan 

Marcella Terrusi, University of Bologna, Italy

Claudia Zoe Bedrick, Publisher, Editor, and Art director, Enchanted Lion, USA; Harry Gwinner, Chief Operating Officer Nobrow/Flying Eyes Books, UK; Teresa Tellechea, Fundación SM, Editor and Coordinator of programs for the promotion of reading, Spain.

In recent years, Taiwanese illustrators and picture books have performed exceptionally well at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. After Animo Chen's The "Short Elegy" was awarded the winner of the Comics for Young Adults category in 2020, and Jimmy Liao’s "The Rainbow of Our Time" the Cinema category’s Special Mention, this year Lin Lian-En's "Home" was recognised as the winner of the Fiction category, while Animo's "Love Letter" received a special mention in Poetry. Here are two discussions that introduce "Home" and "Love Letter", followed by Elena Pasoli’s observations of contemporary Taiwanese illustrators and picture books as the director of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. 

Part 1 HOME 

Lin Lian-En, artist

Cheryl Chan, editor of Papa Publishing

Izabella Kaluta, a cultural manager operating on the Polish and international book markets, and until recently, the vice President of the foundation set up by the Polish Nobel Prize Winner for literature, Olga Tokarczuk.

Part 2 LOVE LETTER

Animo Chen, artist

Lin Yi-Chun, editor of Locus Publishing

Chiara Basile: the founder and owner of the independent children's bookshop Léggere Leggére in Castel Maggiore. Since 2019, she has been among the organisers of the Junior Poetry Festival, the first international poetry festival for young people in Italy.

Morag Styles: Professor of Children’s Poetry at the University of Cambridge and is an Emeritus Fellow at Homerton College. She is the author of "From the Garden to the Street: 300 years of poetry for children", and has written widely on children’s poetry and picturebooks.

Part 3 Elena Pasoli’s Observations

Elena Pasoli: Director of Bologna Children’s Book Fair

L’artista Massimiliano Tappari presenta il progetto "Bologna a testa in su" e racconta il suo lavoro di esplorazione per immagini alla ricerca di dettagli incongrui e sorprendenti fra le vie della città.

Ilaria Tontardini, Hamelin Associazione Culturale

Massimiliano Tappari, fotografo, poeta e camminatore

Dopo il grande successo mondiale dell’iniziativa “Eccellenze italiane” nelle due edizioni precedenti – “L’illustrazione per ragazzi: Eccellenze Italiane” e “Figure per Gianni Rodari. Eccellenze Italiane”, presentate complessivamente in oltre trenta Paesi – prosegue l’attività di promozione dell’illustrazione italiana nel mondo attraverso una nuova mostra.

“Eccellenze italiane. La nuova generazione degli illustratori italiani per ragazzi” è presentata nell’ambito dell’edizione 2021 di Bologna Children’s Book Fair ed è visibile online su BCBF Galleries. L'esposizione vede in mostra le opere di venti giovani illustratori italiani, scelti tra le personalità di spicco più promettenti.

La mostra è organizzata da Bologna Children’s Book Fair/BolognaFiere, Regione Emilia-Romagna, e Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, ed è curata da Cooperativa Giannino Stoppani/Accademia Drosselmeier.

VISITA LA MOSTRA SU BCBF GALLERIES

Ivan Canu, Direttore Mimaster; Mauro Evangelista, Direttore Ars in Fabula; Grazia Gotti, co-fondatrice Accademia Drosselmeier; Elena Pasoli, BCBF Exhibition Manager, Silvana Sola, co-fondatrice Accademia Drosselmeier, docente di Storia dell’Illustrazione presso l’ISIA; Maria Cristina Turchi, già Responsabile Settore Attività culturali all'estero ,Regione Emilia-Romagna;

I Silent Book consegnano ai bambini la chiave per entrare nel mondo dei libri dal portone principale. Si tratta di opere di raffinata fattura che abituano i ragazzi al piacere dell’immagine e del bello e offrono storie che consentono ai più piccoli un ruolo attivo di interpretazione e fantasia. Rai Yoyo ha deciso di offrire a tutti i bambini la gioia della scoperta di queste storie visive, attraverso il nuovo programma: “Pianeta storie”, che andrà in onda a partire dal 25 ottobre. Ogni giorno, una navicella intergalattica con quattro piccoli esploratori spaziali a bordo, catturerà un silent book nella galassia dei libri e atterrerà sul lontano pianeta. 

Narratore: Enrico Dusio
Un programma di Janna Carioli
Regia: Andrea Apuzzo

A dialogue between teachers from six international art and design schools on the exhibition organised by the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts involving 120 young illustrators. A reflection on History, with a capital 'H', and on small stories that have marked the destiny of humanity.

VISIT THE EXHIBITION HERE

Enrico Fornaroli, Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna

Mario Rivelli, Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna; Bernd Mölck-Tassel, Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Hamburg; Stefano Valigi, Alliance Française, Bologna; Laura Beghelli, Goethe-Zentrum, Bologna; Sarah Fouquet, École Supérieure d'Arts et Médias, Caen-Cherbourg; Rūta Briede, Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija, Riga; Pere Ginard, La Massana Arts & Design School, Barcelona; Yirmi Pinkus, Shenkar College of Arts, Engineering and Design, Tel Aviv.

An exclusive online guided journey through the works of the 2021 BCBF Illustrators Exhbition, accompanied by Anna Castagnoli.

 Anna Castagnoli, author and illustrator, scholar and critic of children's illustration

This edition of Bologna Children's Book Fair celebrated POETRY.

The BolognaRagazzi Award jury of experts met, discussed and selected the winners from the very many poetry books for children and young adults submitted by publishers from around the world.

The category was such a success and the experience so exhilarating that Bologna Children's Book Fair has announced it would be prepared to make Poetry the special award category also for 2022, encouraging publishers to extend their reach further into the genre.

We need more poetry, words, languages, rhymes and free verses – ‘poetic toys’ as Gianni Rodari would say - for children and adults to enjoy together.

As the final event of the 2021 BCBF edition, our Poetry Party has brought together many countries and many languages. This special choir of voices is a truly fitting finale for the 2021 Bologna Children's Book Fair as we sign off until next year.

Who joined us?

María Teresa Andruetto, Ērika Bērziņa and Anna Vaivare, Silvia Vecchini, Francesco Chiacchio and Sualzo, Nicola Cinquetti and Desideria Guicciardini, Joseph Coelho, Juan Palomino, Anastasia Orlova, Adolfo Córdova, María José Ferrada and Maria Elena Valdez, Jorge Lujan, Bernard Friot and Aurélie Guillerey, Fiona Waters and Britta Teckentrup, Alessandro Riccioni and Vittoria Facchini, Igor Zhukov, Animo Chen and Sam Liao.