Bologna: Fifty Years of Children’s Books from Around the World ed. by Giorgia Grilli (review)

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair was first held in 1964, a significant decade in 20th century history, and also a significant time in the creation and publication of books for children. In the ensuing years, the fair has become a landmark event for all with a professional interest in children’s books. Publishers dominate, as Bologna is primarily a trade fair. The halls are packed with stands displaying books from countries and regions across the globe. Most are commercial: publishers are there to promote their wares, and especially to sell international rights. But it is more than that. The fair has developed into a space where people from many countries and disciplines all get together to talk about their passion for children’s books. Aspiring illustrators and students wander the halls with portfolios under their arms, hoping to meet some publisher who will recognize their talents. Established authors, picture book creators, critics, academics, librarians, media people, all come to take part in or to listen to discussions at the many events during the Fair.

There are stands sponsored by national and international organizations and agencies, all featuring books from different regions. The IBBY stand is a core part of the fair, and a place where people come to see some of the best books from around the world in displays such as the Hans Christian Andersen Award nominees, the IBBY Honour Books and books for children with disabilities. The International Youth Library from Munich also represents international aspects of children’s books with their displays of publications, which have received the accolade of the Youth Library’s White Ravens. The Nami Island Illustration Concours stand and presentations are an increasingly attractive and important showcase for the best in illustration from around the world, and the winners of two internationally prestigious awards, IBBY’s Hans Christian Andersen Awards for writing and for illustration, and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) are announced at the Fair. The Fair’s own Bologna Ragazzi awards recognize talented authors and illustrators, and each year a specific country is featured at the Fair as a “guest of honour” in the exhibition space.

To mark the 50 years since the Bologna Book Fair’s inception, a handsome two-volume publication in a slipcase has been produced. The slimmer volume (it is still substantial) is a photographic record of the Fair and its participants over the years. This complements the section at the back of the second volume in which many of those who regularly attend the Fair talk about what the Fair means, or has meant, to them. It is rather a pity that these two sections are not together, because it would have made the volume of articles lighter!

The articles of the second volume are divided into two sections: one charting the development of the Fair, and the second containing essays based on presentations at a conference held in 2013 to mark the Fair’s anniversary. One of the remarkable features demonstrated in the opening articles is the extent to which the Book Fair is so evidently part of the city of Bologna; for Bologna, this is no ordinary trade fair, but a cultural event of note. The second and longer group of articles—ambitiously titled 1964-2013: A World History of Children’s Books—discusses books from around the world. The focus is on picturebooks, understandably, as the language of the “picturebook” is an international one, and exposure to so much visual content is a very evident and exciting part of the Fair.

The articles are replete with information charting the history of book-production in countries or regions around the globe. Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the Arab countries are all dealt with as regions, rather than in articles featuring individual countries, although some of the most exciting developments are emerging in these areas...