The Bologna Children’s Book Fair isn’t just an event — it’s where global children’s publishing decides what survives. From instinct-driven acquisitions to geopolitical tensions, here’s what really happens behind the scenes — and why, even in 2026, nothing has kept the industry away.

Before AR became a buzzword, I built interactive children’s books using webcams and printed pages. Here’s what worked, what failed—and why the market wasn’t ready.

Colouring-in can be calming and good for control — but it’s not the same as drawing. Drawing builds thinking, memory, language and confidence. Here’s a plea for “beyond the line” creativity (plus easy ways to encourage it)

Seeing, Reading, Drawing As the number of art teachers plummets and children spend more time swiping than sketching, we risk losing one of the simplest, most powerful forms of learning: looking. Reading and drawing both teach us how to see — one through words, the other through lines. They nurture curiosity, empathy, and imagination, and they shape the way children think about the world. In a society increasingly addicted to the instant, these slow, patient arts might just

In the world of publishing - the selling of book ideas, the rights eightsome reel — every step matters. Every fair, every pitch, every deadl