International publishing professionals came together for the 63rd Bologna Children’s Book Fair from April 13–16. PW takes you on a photo tour with highlights from the event, featuring awards ceremonies and celebrations, appearances by renowned authors and illustrators, art openings around the city, prosecco- and pasta-fueled parties, and more. (All photos by Emma Kantor, unless noted.)

The festivities kicked off on Sunday, April 12, with the annual Penguin Random House party at the Royal Hotel Carlton in Bologna. Here (from l.): illustrator Pete Oswald; Rachel Bader, director of licensing at Random House Children’s Books; Kirsten Hall, founder and president of Catbird Agency; and Mallory Loehr, executive VP and publisher at Random House Children’s Books.

Helen Boomer (l.), SVP, children’s subsidiary rights at Penguin Random House; and Jennifer Besser, president and publisher of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, at the PRH party. Photo by Diane Roback.

The Association of Canadian Publishers hosted a dinner on Sunday evening. Here, Judy Brunsek (standing, r.), director of sales and marketing at Owlkids, thanks the restaurant staff (l.) of Trattoria Battibecco, longtime venue for the annual event.

Attendees streaming into the fair on a drizzly day.

At the opening ceremony on Monday, April 13, fair director Elena Pasoli welcomed the children’s book community, describing the city of Bologna as “a fertile ground for culture.”

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award laureate and former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson (l.) joined Maria Russo, former New York Times Book Review children’s books editor and current editor-at-large at Union Square Kids, for a conversation titled “The Global Majority and the Future of Children’s Publishing.” This was Woodson’s first time attending the fair. Photo by Joanne O’Sullivan.

During the awards ceremony on April 13 at Palazzo Re Enzo, Tundra Book Group was named winner of the BOP – Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year for the North American region. (From l.): co-publishers Elizabeth Kribs and Tara Walker with Adrienne Tang, VP of subsidiary rights at Penguin Random House Canada, celebrating at the party that followed.

Author-illustrator Kay Healy, BolognaRagazzi winner in the Comics – Early Reader category for her book Casey’s Cases: The Mysterious New Girl (Holiday House/Porter), on stage at the awards ceremony on Monday evening. Photo by Roback.

Fireworks author Matthew Burgess (l.) and 2026 Caldecott Medalist Cátia Chien celebrated their picture book at the HarperCollins booth. Photo by Rachel Horowitz.

An exhibit showcased illustration from Norway, this year’s guest-of-honor country.

On Monday evening at Adiacenze—a contemporary art space—author David Duff (l.) and illustrator Marianna Coppo attended the opening of an interactive exhibit for their new picture book, I Will Eat You in the End. They were joined by nearly all of the book’s 15 publishers. The event was also a celebration of the 15th anniversary of Debbie Bibo Agency. Cake was indeed eaten in the end. Photo by Giorgia Tronconi, courtesy of Adiacenze.

Strolling the aisles. Photo by Roback.

Illustrator Briony May Smith signing books at the Il Castoro stand. Photo by Anne Schwartz.

The Everything Is Translation exhibit was organized by Book Arsenal, the annual literary festival in Kyiv, and Pictoric, a community of Ukrainian illustrators and graphic designers.

(From l.): Justin Krasner, editorial director of Sourcebooks eXplore; Jennifer Gonalez, SVP and publisher of children’s books; and Jenne Abramowitz, editorial director of Sourcebooks Fire, Young Readers, and Jabberwocky, in between meetings at the publisher’s stand.

The Book Institute of Poland, next year’s guest-of-honor country.

A fairgoer browses books by Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award laureates. This year’s winner, announced on the second day of the Bologna Fair, is author-illustrator Jon Klassen.

Italian children’s publisher La Coccinella (“The Ladybug”) invited visitors to draw their interpretation of l’amore, or love.

Enjoying a toast at the Chinese Excellence in Children’s Illustration exhibit. Cai Gao, winner of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration, was among the jurors.

(From l.): Megan Alrutz, director of creative at Hidden Pigeon; Paula Allen, publishing consultant; CEO Karen Miller; and Mo Willems’s editor Tracey Keevan, VP and editorial director at Union Square Kids, at the Hidden Pigeon stand. The team is gearing up to celebrate Elephant & Piggy’s 20th anniversary in fall 2026, and the Pigeon’s 25th anniversary in 2027.

The Illustrators Survival Corner hosted workshops, presentations, and portfolio reviews throughout the fair.

A display of children’s books from Australia. Photo by Roback.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair donated the 100 titles presented for the BolognaRagazzi Awards to the Junior Poetry Center, a cultural association that aims to promote poetry for young people. Visitors to the JPC stand were invited to browse the collection and vote for their favorites.

La Fondazione Monte di Bologna and Ravenna hosted an exhibition devoted to Swedish author-illustrator and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award laureate Eva Lindström, Nothing Is Impossible for Us.

Libreria per ragazzi Giannino Stoppani, just one of Bologna’s many local bookstores, was bustling.

Next year’s fair will take place April 5–8, 2027. Alla prossima!