"The fair has two main objectives – to provide an overview of the cultural diversity of children's literature and trends in illustration art, and to develop business in the field by bringing together authors, agents and publishers," said Triin Soone, director of the Estonian Children's Literature Center in a press release.

"Estonia has participated in the BCBF for the past 15 years, with the aim of introducing the world to the country's original children's literature as well as creating partnerships for the publication of Estonian children's books abroad," Soone added.

The Bologna Children's Book Fair is the oldest and largest children's literature event in the world, bringing together thousands of children's book authors and creators from every corner of the globe. Primarily, it is a picture book fair that focuses on illustration.

Each year, a different country holds the Guest of Honor status, providing the opportunity for it to showcase its domestic children's literature. Estonia will fill this role for the first time in the spring of 2025.
Being Guest of Honor involves hosting illustration and book exhibitions, author presentations, discussions, seminars and workshops both in the fairgrounds and around the city of Bologna.

The event provides a rare opportunity to exhibit Estonian authors' and illustrators' work on such a grand scale and garner significant international attention. As Guest of Honor, Estonia will also create and exhibit two major exhibitions – the first in the fairgrounds and the second, a themed exhibition in the city of Bologna.

"The status of Guest of Honor will give us the main stage and better opportunities to promote our children's literature and authors," said Soone.

"We believe that we have something to show and offer the world, because today's Estonian children's literature is fresh and surprising in its themes, with a personal and varied visual language and high quality of printing."

Bianka Soe will also curate an exhibition showcasing the diverse work of Estonian illustrators and animators through an inclusive, dynamic and innovative approach. The atmosphere of the exhibition will be playful and multifaceted - just like Estonian illustration today. After the Bologna Fair, the exhibition will go on tour both in Estonia and abroad.

More information about the 2025 Bologna Children's Book Fair is available here.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!