Over 30,000 publishers, authors, media, and allied professionals gathered for the Bologna Children¡¯s Book Fair around the slogan: ¡°Together we are better.¡± ?
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Publications worked closely with fair organizers on this year¡¯s programming, covering themes of belonging, accessibility and inclusion, Indigenous languages, sustainability, women in publishing, information integrity, and many more.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Publications Team participated in eight events over three days.
Mary Glenn, Chief of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Publications, handed out the Ragazzi Award for the special category ¡°Fables and Fairy Tales¡±, a vital medium for dialogue across cultures.
Ms.?Glenn also led the opening session ¡°In Their Shoes: Children¡¯s Literature as a Gateway to Belonging¡±?with Gvantsa Jobava, International Publishers President; Elena Pasoli, BCBF President; and Maria Russo, Union Square Kids¡¯ Editor at Large.
They explored what it means when children learn that they belong through the books they read and how this, in turn, helps raise empathetic adults who can navigate change, tolerate ambiguity, and stay compassionate in challenging situations. ??
In its third year, the annual session ¡°Reading of the Convention on the Rights of the Child¡± was an opportunity for Ms. Glenn to encourage attendees to engage with the text of the convention, reflecting on its implications for authors, publishers, and educators.
¡°Leading Through Books: Women Shaping Reading Cultures Globally,¡± co-organized with PublisHer and Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Book Culture, looked at the global decline of readership and how women leaders in publishing are at the forefront of reimagining reading cultures.
The final sessions, ¡°Preserving Indigenous and Endangered Languages: Insights, Challenges, and the IBBY-Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵESCO Collection¡± and ¡°SDG Book Club Caf¨¦: Keeping Sustainability at the Heart of Children¡¯s Books¡±, both underlined the importance of localizing content and reaching children in their native languages.
Moderated by Irina Lumelsky, Sales and Marketing Director of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Publications, representatives of SDG Book Club chapters explored how SDG Book Clubs can support one another in keeping sustainability at the core of children¡¯s learning.
The outpouring of support for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s priorities of peace, human rights, and sustainable development from organizers and fair attendees showed us that we are working towards the same goal: supporting curious children to become empathetic adults equipped with critical thinking and the courage to take action.
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