The Bologna Grand Tour is set to make its next stop in Shanghai. From 13 to 15 November 2026, the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF), a sister fair co-organized by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF), returns for its 13th edition. With more than 500 exhibitors, distinguished international guests, exhibitions, awards and new networking opportunities, the fair promises what organizers describe as an unmistakable Bologna touch, the organizers announced in a statement.
Exhibitors
Occupying 25,000 square meters of exhibition space and expecting 45,000 visitors, CCBF is positioning itself as a leading event for children’s publishing and content in the Asia-Pacific region. Alongside the major Chinese publishing groups, exhibitors from more than 35 countries and regions will attend.
Among them is Poland, the Country Guest of Honour at BCBF27, as well as Australia, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. National pavilions will also be hosted by Belgium, Brazil, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, France, Japan, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom, in addition to Poland.
BCBF’s special areas will return as well: the Asia Pacific New Entry Lounge, the BOP Lounge, the BRAW Crossmedia Lounge and the Comic Lounge. All are located in a shared space at the heart of the Copyright Zone, the section of CCBF created to facilitate professional meetings and international rights trading.
Conferences, seminars
Over three days, the fair will host conferences, seminars, masterclasses and workshops covering new trends in children’s publishing, the Chinese and Asian markets, and networking with international professionals.
The program features many friends of BCBF and leading international figures, including Jon Klassen (Canada, ALMA Award 2026), Cai Gao (China, Hans Christian Andersen Award 2026), Bart Moeyaert (Belgium, ALMA Award 2019), Cao Wenxuan (China, Hans Christian Andersen Award 2016) and Roger Mello (Brazil, Hans Christian Andersen Award 2014). Also appearing are Piotr Karski (Poland), Fernando Arce (Peru, Bologna Portfolio Award 2026), Philip Giordano (Italy, BCBF–Fundación SM International Award for Illustration 2010), Emily Gravett (United Kingdom), Stian Hole (Norway), Lee Jee Eun (South Korea) and Cristino Wapichana (Brazil), among others.
Exhibitions
A series of exhibitions will showcase the richness and creativity of international illustrated publishing, with several arriving from Bologna.
- The Golden Pinwheel Illustration Exhibition will present 50 selected works by young illustrators, with winners to be announced on Friday, 13 November.
- This year’s Children Plus exhibition, themed “Spoken Words, Painted Worlds: Fables, Fairy Tales, Picture Books,” presents 200 titles from around the world at stand 5E02 in the Hybrid Zone.
- Spotlight on New Books (stand 6E02, Hybrid Zone) offers 260 titles published this year or soon to be released, presented by CCBF exhibitors. The initiative aims to foster global exchange and promote the international distribution of original, high-quality children’s books.
- Italian Excellence: Pinocchio’s New Clothes, the international tour of BCBF’s exhibition on the famous puppet, stops in Shanghai, where the winner of Pinocchio Unlimited, Chinese Edition, will be revealed.
- IBBY Italia Choice 2026, titled “Just One More Story!”, returns with a selection of the best Italian children’s books at stand 7C05 in the Hybrid Zone. Titles are grouped into Books About Books, Toddler, Poetry, Picture Books, Fiction, Non-fiction and Comics, and are noted for literary quality, visual artistry and narrative originality.
- JBBY returns to stand 5B03 in the Copyright Zone with an exhibition of 70 Japanese titles.
- A small selection of Italian illustrations from this year’s Illustrators’ Exhibition will be shown at the Italian collective stand (2A08, Copyright Zone), curated by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), which is hosting 15 Italian publishers.
- The new Comics Week area in the Hybrid Zone hosts titles from exhibitors in Bologna’s Comics Corner who are seeking to enter the Asia-Pacific market.
- The Chinese Excellence Awards, now in their fourth edition, will reveal finalists on Friday 13 at 13:45 on Stage 1. The jury will then meet to select the winners, who will be announced at BCBF27.
Poland in the Spotlight
As Norway did last year, Poland is offering a preview in Shanghai of its role as Country Guest of Honour at BCBF 2027, in a symbolic “passing of the torch.” Norway concludes its term with a selection of illustrations from the exhibition shown in Bologna last April (stand 2A11–2A17, Copyright Zone). Stian Hole will lead a guided tour on Friday 13 November at 3 pm, followed by a cocktail reception at the stand.
Poland takes up the baton at stand 2B15 in the Copyright Zone, where a toast is planned for Saturday 14 at 12:30 pm. Earlier, on Friday 13 at 9:45 am, the “Children’s Book in Poland” event will be held in the Screening Room (Hybrid Zone). At 1 pm, the International Children’s Reading Promotion Forum takes place in the Official Conference Room (Copyright Zone), with the Polish Book Institute among the speakers. Piotr Karski will also lead a workshop at the International Survival Corner.
Additional programs
The CCBF Fellowship’s Shanghai Visiting International Publishers (SHVIP) programme returns, welcoming five international publishing professionals. From 12 to 15 November, participants will take part in meetings, bookstore visits and professional events designed to give first-hand knowledge of the Chinese market and help build international relationships.
The Illustrators Survival Corner, one of BCBF’s flagship initiatives for illustrators, also returns, offering workshops, seminars and meetings with leading figures in illustration for emerging and established talents alike.
Shanghai is one of the stops on the Bologna Grand Tour, the journey taking BCBF and its network to major international publishing and creative industry events.
At the Bologna Lounge (1A03, Copyright Zone), visitors can find the latest news and previews of the next editions of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, BolognaBookPlus and the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids, scheduled for 5 to 8 April 2027.
(Courtesy: Bologna Children’s Bookfair newsletter)
