63rd edition 13- 16 April 2026 | Bologna - Italy
63rd edition 13- 16 April 2026 | Bologna - Italy
An international selection of picture books explores the relationship between fashion, costume and childhood.
The exhibition features 150 beautifully crafted picture books, inviting visitors to wander through enchanted ateliers, artists’ biographies and childhood stories, where fairy-tale elegance meets pedagogical reflection. Following the success of the Shanghai edition, the exhibition returns in a renewed format, welcoming readers of all ages to discover the secrets hidden behind iconic shoes and memorable designs.
Narrative garments, designers and fairy-tale characters step out of illustrated pages and take on three-dimensional form. Visitors are invited to play and experiment with new tactile experiences in an atelier that encourages close attention to everyday objects and gestures, rediscovering the strong threads that can help mend our torn world.
Patterns, colours, boundless invention, lateral thinking and graphic-pictorial combinations dress the pages with imaginative forms. The works on display open the doors of a fabulous wardrobe where every shape creates new spaces of possibility. The exhibition offers intersecting reflections on the art of the picture book, the history of costume and childhood, critical thinking and experimentation with visual languages, suggesting that the unbroken thread of storytelling and art can offer transformative possibilities.
An exhibition by Bologna Children’s Book Fair – BolognaFiere and China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF)
Curated by Marcella Terrusi, Silvana Sola, Mariaelena Schiavo
With the patronage of Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Rimini Campus
With the support of the B.L.U. Central Library of the Rimini Campus
With thanks to the Municipality of Bologna, Fondazione Bologna Welcome and punto eXtraBO
In collaboration with Sartoria Oriana Neri, Libreria per ragazzi Giannino Stoppani, La bottega in scatola and Fatatrac Edizioni
Organization: Laboratorio delle Idee
Design: Chia Lab
Illustration by Gabriella Giandelli, from Il mondo di Gabry, Vánvere Edizioni, 2026.
Punto eXtraBO, Piazza Nettuno, 1/ab, 40124 Bologna
Opening: April 1, 6:00 pm
Exhibition dates: April 2–19
Monday–Friday 9:00–19:00
Sunday 10:00–17:00
Programme of activities:
April 12, 11:00 am
Sensitive Landscapes – workshop to create a collective tactile fabric book. Participants will contribute a page imagining landscapes like postcards to be sent and “read” with the hands. Fabrics, lace, threads and weaving will shape sensitive landscapes to be shared, creating connections between bodies in action. Curated by Start Ac Edizioni with Giuliana Riunno. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes. Free admission while places last.
