Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025

Slovenian Publishers and Creators at the Heart of International Exchange

Nika Mušič

A Global Platform for Children’s Literature

Every year, for four exciting days, Bologna becomes the world capital for book publishing, illustration, animation, multimedia and licensing. Three distinct yet interconnected events unfold simultaneously: the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the world’s largest and most significant fair dedicated to children’s and youth literature; BolognaBookPlus, focused on general book publishing; and the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kid, highlighting brands and content for children, teens and young adults.

Held at the BolognaFiere Exhibition Centre from March 31 to April 3, this year marked the fair’s 62nd edition. It featured an impressive 1,577 exhibitors from around 95 countries and regions. BolognaBookPlus was sold out for the first time, with publishers from 56 countries actively trading book rights. Over 33,000 professional visitors attended more than 600 events, a 5% increase from last year. Journalists from over 40 countries covered these events, highlighting the fair's extensive international appeal. The fair’s digital presence also remains strong, boasting over two million website visits from over 180 countries annually.

These numbers confirm that Bologna is the leading global platform for children’s and youth literature. Promoting the entire book industry chain and beyond, this year, a new Games Business Centre was introduced alongside the existing TV and film rights centre. With diverse programming and numerous industry participants, the fair offers valuable opportunities for professionals, including those from Slovenia. Apart from the Frankfurt Book Fair, the most Slovenian children’s and youth literature publishers present themselves at the Bologna Book Fair.

The panel discussion at the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025 about the circulation of European literature.

Slovenian Presence in Bologna

Showcasing Slovenian Publishers

Following Slovenia’s role as the Guest of Honour Country at last year’s fair (a role assumed this year by Estonia and next year by Norway), contemporary Slovenian book production continued to shine in Bologna. The Slovenian Book Agency manages the national stand, promoting Slovenian publishers internationally. Exhibitors included Malinc, Miš, Pivec, Sanje and Sodobnost International, while Mladinska knjiga and Morfem showcased at independent booths.

Beyond book rights sales, the fair facilitates valuable networking with global editors and literary agents, encouraging participation in international initiatives like Publishers Without Borders, celebrating its fifth anniversary. International projects play an important role in the internationalisation of the Slovenian literary sector as they enable long-term cooperation, knowledge exchange and access to foreign markets. The support of the Creative Europe programme is key for the realisation of such initiatives, an importance that was also underlined during this year’s discussions in Bologna.

International Projects by Slovenian Organisations

Two Slovenian publishers actively showcased their European-funded projects during the discussion “Creative Europe: EU Funding Opportunities for Literature and Publishing Sector” organised by Creative Europe Desks from Italy, Portugal and Slovenia. Notable projects include:

At the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025, Alenka Urh, Sodobnost International Cultural Society and Mateja Lazer, Motovila Institute, participated on the panel about the circulation of European literature.

Sodobnost International: Promoting quality European literature through initiatives like Connecting the Worlds, Connected with Books, and Our Little Library, which focus especially on literature in lesser-used languages.
Malinc: Presented GG4A: Innovative Intercultural Reading Promotion, employing gamification to foster reading among teens, with Sodobnost International as a partner.

At the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025, Barbara Pregelj from the Malinc Publishing House presented GG4A: Innovative Intercultural Reading Promotion, employing gamification to foster reading among teens.

In the frame of ThinkPub presents: Digital Challenges and Solutions for Smaller Book Markets, Beletrina introduced ThinkPub, addressing digital challenges facing the European literary sector and revealing how advanced digital sources are strengthening the competencies of smaller and medium-sized publishers in smaller markets.

Ljubljana City Library participated in the discussion, "In search for books free of stereotype threat: the European G-BOOK projects", highlighting literature that deals with the topic of gender. As a partner in the third edition of this project, which has successfully been creating bibliographies and promoting books free from gender stereotypes for different age groups (3–10, 11–14 and 15–18) across Europe.

At the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025 the Ljubljana City Library participates in the discussion "In search for books free of stereotype threat: the European G-BOOK projects", highlighting literature that deals with the topic of gender.

Seeking to encourage active inclusion and address contemporary questions, elevate reading culture in different age groups and support European cooperation, these initiatives highlight Slovenia’s active engagement, innovation and relevance in Europe’s literary and cultural scene.

Slovenian Creators Receive International Recognition

Nominations, awards and inclusion in prestigious international selections have played a role in paving the way for Slovenian publishers to successfully reach international markets with their exceptional offerings. Among the 11 awards bestowed within the frame of the Bologna Book Fair, the most notable ones include:

Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publisher of the Year (BOP) recognising the best publishers worldwide;
BolognaRagazzi Award for the best-illustrated children’s books;
BolognyRagazzi CrossMedia Award for the best publishing projects that expand their narrative across different media;
Strega Prize Ragazze e Ragazzi for Children’s Literature.

Slovenia featured prominently this year: Tanja Skale, editor of Stripburger, served on the 3-member jury for the BolognaRagazzi Awards in the comics category. Books by Slovenian authors Žiga X Gombač and Feri Lainšček were recognised among the best-illustrated books worldwide. The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf, which ranks 150 titles from 47 countries (from 3,858 submitted from 68 countries), we can find Žiga X Gombač’s Očka me slišiš? illustrated by Igor Šinkovec. In a special category dedicated to sustainability, we also find Feri Lainšček’s Družina, illustrated by Marta Bartolj. Both works are from Miš Publishing House.

Slovenians were also nominated for prestigious awards such as the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Peter Svetina has twice been a finalist for the Andersen Award, another international accolade for Slovenia’s literary quality.

The two most prestigious international awards in the field of children's and youth literature are undoubtedly the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. The ALMA is awarded annually by the Swedish Arts Council to authors, illustrators, storytellers and reading promoters. This year's winner, French author Marion Brunet, was announced via live broadcast from Stockholm and at the Bologna Book Fair. Among 265 candidates from 72 countries, Slovenian authors and illustrators Andreja Peklar and Maja Kastelic, as well as authors Boris A. Novak, Ismet Bekrić and Peter Svetina, were also nominated. Svetina has been a finalist for the Andersen Award twice, which underscores the international recognition of the quality of his work.

The Andersen Award is given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to authors and illustrators for their lifetime achievements. During an IBBY press conference at the fair, nominees for 2026 were introduced. The Slovene Section of IBBY nominated author Anja Štefan and illustrator Alenka Sottler, who has now been nominated for the third time. To date, only Peter Svetina and Marija Lucija Stupica have advanced as finalists. IBBY was also actively present at Bologna through various events and activities. Visitors at their exhibition booth could explore this year’s selection of books for readers with special needs, including Past v razredu by Žiga Valetič, illustrated by Jaka Vukotič (Miš). European IBBY sections organised the conference "Books Make a Difference! Children’s Right to Read in Challenging Times." Additionally, a discussion on the role of nonfiction in children's literature was hosted by Bookbird, IBBY's quarterly professional journal. The discussion focused on why nonfiction, despite a rise in high-quality publications, still remains peripheral in literary discourse. Among those contributing was Tina Bilban, a researcher at the Nova revija Institute.

Illustration Takes Center Stage

Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s iconic Illustrators Exhibition, established in 1967, is a global showcase of contemporary illustration trends. This year, a record 4,374 illustrators submitted over 21,800 works from 89 countries, with selected pieces featured in the international catalogue Illustrators Annual. Although no Slovenian illustrators were featured this year, Ana Maraž represented Slovenia last year with her illustrations in the children’s book Protideževna juha by Majda Koren (Sodobnost).

The fair continues to support young talent through specific awards for authors under 35, scholarships for authors under 30 and the popular virtual Illustrators Wall, featuring over 1000 illustrations and accessible online until 30 September 2025.

Translators – Vital for Cultural Exchange

Translators play an essential role in cultural and creative sectors, especially when we talk about supernational circulation of literature and international cooperation. The Translators on the Cover report highlights their significance, along with calling for increased public funding of translation projects and better working conditions, the report also sets forth suggestions for encouraging translations and the promotion of European books for public institutions.

The report was the primary focus of the round table organised by the General Directorate of the European Commission for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture and moderated by Francesca Novajra, president of the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations (CEATL). CEATL is researching and critically following the use of generative AI in publishing and has already issued a statement demanding transparency and legal protection, warning about the degradation of language with the use of AI and emphasising human creativity.

The Slovenian Association of Literary Translators (DSKP), itself a member of CEATL, was represented by several members, including Julija Potrč Šavli, an exceptional translator from Estonian, Finnish and English into Slovenian. Thanks to her work, literature from Estonia, this year’s honorary guest country, is also accessible to Slovenian readers.

The panel on the Translators on the Cover report at the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025.

Cross-Sector Opportunities

Literary works and their characters increasingly find new life today in animated films, series, games and transmedia projects. The Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids, now in its 18th edition, fosters essential connections across sectors. Besides networking opportunities with publishers, the fair also hosts the important International Kids Licensing Days conference for all professionals involved in children’s content. This three-day programme, organised in collaboration with Licensing Magazine, covers topics from licensing to publishing and audiovisual content to gaming, with an emphasis on current trends.

Among the fair’s major innovations this year was the Games Business Centre, developed in cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair. Alongside the TV/Film Rights Centre, this platform notably boosted cross-sector collaboration. Over 600 business meetings between publishers and professionals from the film and video game industries confirm a significant interest in developing content from books to screens.

Slovenia offers several noteworthy examples of literature-inspired animations. The Slovenian Film Database lists 30 animated short or feature-length children’s films and TV episodes adapted from literary works. Among the earliest animated films is Zvezdica zaspanka (1965); another significant mention is the Vesna award-winning Cipercoper (2014). An older, well-known animated series is Marjan Manček’s Hribci (1993), while a recent addition is the miniseries Maček Muri, which revitalises the visual portrayal of Kajetan Kovič’s classic characters.

From paper to screen, from illustration to interactive experiences, the Bologna Book Fair is a critical hub connecting the literary sector with other creative industries. In this richly interconnected international environment, Slovenian publishers, writers, illustrators and translators successfully strengthen their visibility, while opportunities also remain open for Slovenian creators in film and audiovisual media.

The Bologna Book Fair remains pivotal in sparking new collaborations, projects and breakthroughs – stay tuned for future developments in Slovenia from this event!

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