Our agency will again attend Bologna Children's Book Fair, the world's leading children's publishing event, where Slovenia was the Guest of Honour in 2024. The fair will run from 13 until 16 April. The Slovenian national stand will be located in Hall 29 (stand C32/ D31). Also present at workstations at the national stand will be Slovenian publishers Malinc, Miš, Pivec, Sanje and Sodobnost. The publishers Mladinska knjiga and Morfem will be present at the fair with their own stands.

To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Carlo Collodi, the author of Pinocchio, this year’s fair will feature a special exhibition of illustrations of the famous literary character. The fair launched an international competition for new illustrations, and among the 25 selected works from 17 countries is an illustration by Slovenian illustrator Marta Bartolj. The exhibition will first be presented at the fairgrounds, and after the fair concludes, it will tour Italian cultural institutes around the world.

Marta Bartolj is an illustrator and author of silent books. Last year, she was included for the third time in the prestigious BRAW Amazing Bookshelf exhibition at the Bologna Book Fair. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work and her books have been published in more than ten languages.