Fourth stop: Shanghai!

From 14 to 16 November 2025, BCBF will be in Shanghai as co-organiser of the Asian fair. The appointment in Shanghai is part of the calendar of the BCBF Grand Tour 2025/2026, with BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus) and the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), developed thanks to the support and collaboration of ITA- the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. 

 

In its capacity as co-organiser, Bologna Children’s Book Fair contributes significantly to the strategy and international positioning of CCBF, which this year is scheduled to take place from 14 to 16 November at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre. BCBF coordinates the international section of the fair, both in terms of exhibitors and programming, and creates special areas designed to highlight the excellence of children’s publishing worldwide.

 

In this international context, Italy will also play a leading role, with a large collective stand organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and numerous individual participants at CCBF. Spaces specifically for professionals include The Illustrators Survival Corner, one of the most visited areas of BCBF, curated by Mimaster Illustrazione. The initiative has already been exported successfully to publishing fairs all around the world. The Corner is specifically for young illustrators or those taking their first steps in the industry and includes masterclasses, workshops and meetings focusing on the profession of the illustrator in all of its many aspects.

 

This presence on the world publishing scene is testament to the leading role BCBF plays in the sector. In fact, the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair also offers an opportunity to consolidate BCBF’s collaboration with the International Publishers Association (IPA) and to continue the work ahead of the next Congress in Malaysia, where BCBF will play a leading role in the children’s publishing section.

 

Numerous guests from the international scene area also due to take part in Shanghai: Matthew Forsythe, Steven Guarnaccia, Alessandro Sanna, GUD, Leo Timmers, Taro Gomi Yoshitake and Øyvind Torseter are some of the participants in an exclusive preview that will also look ahead to Norway’s involvement as Guest of Honour 2026 at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Among the stars of CCBF is also Sydney Smith, winner of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award. A selection of his books, published in many countries around the world, will be presented by BCBF in collaboration with Everafter, the Chinese publishing house that won the 2026 BOP – Bologna Prize in the Asia category.

 

In addition, a focus on cartoons: BCBF’s experience in the sector in particular through its Comics Corner, has led to the new edition of Children’s Plus, an initiative designed to promote the most innovative publishing categories worldwide. In 2025 attention will therefore be on the best international comics with the exhibition "COMICS: Exploring the World, One Bubble at a Time - Stories for reading, learning, imagining" curated by Grazia Gotti (Accademia Drosselmeier), Mariaelena Schiavo (Bologna Children’s Book Fair) and Marina Lepore (Accademia Drosselmeier) for the international section and by Fei Jia (Senior Editor and Picture Book Researcher) for the Chinese section. In total, the exhibition will display around 300 international titles, celebrating comics as an art form and as a tool for learning. The event will also feature a special panel discussion to examine the theme in greater depth.