We are proud to have been part of the 2025 Bologna Children's Book Fair as one of the publishers part of the Philippine delegation, as organized by the National Book Development Board. As part of our participation, Adarna House Vice President for Product Development, Ani Rosa Almario, was invited to speak at the panel discussion 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨-𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝙀𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨, and Product Development Manager, Eli Camacho, was our main representative throughout the event.
Take a look at Eli's first-hand account of the Book Fair below!
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) is the world’s longest-running fair dedicated to children’s books. Every March or April yearly, thousands of publishers, illustrators, writers, translators, and agents descend upon Bologna for the four-day fair. There are talks, workshops, exhibits, and rights exchange meetings. It’s a dream destination for picture book makers everywhere.
My first visit to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2017 was memorable but a little lonely. I knew I wanted to return someday, but definitely not by myself. So when my colleague Kata informed me about the Creative Nation Grant being offered by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), I thought of giving it a try. This time, a bigger group would be going: eight grantees, together with representatives from the Philippine Board on Books for Young People and the NBDB. The Philippines would have its own stand for displaying books, hosting events, and holding meetings.
After all the hoops had been jumped through, I was all set. We arrived in cloudy, drizzly Bologna after a 15-hour flight from Manila. Bologna sits in the Emilia-Romagna region, in the north of Italy. It has a long history as an industrial and agricultural hub, and is home to the oldest university in continuous operation. Love bolognese pasta? You can thank Bologna for that, along with other dishes such as lasagna and tortellini.
The first event on the calendar was a storytelling activity and art workshop for Filipino-Italian children organized by the NBDB and PBBY, together with the Philippine Consulate General in Milan. NBDB Governor Mary Ann Ordinario introduced the children to Filipino symbols like Jose Rizal and sampaguita, after which they made small clay versions of the bakya. It wasn’t long before “branded” and floral bakya started emerging.
Next up was a cut-and-paste activity based on my book Haluhalo. To my surprise, I found out that even haluhalo is available in Italy during the summer, thanks to enterprising Filipinos. But whether or not the children had ever tried haluhalo, their works were a riot of colors and shapes. And before we knew it, the afternoon was over and it was time to take the train back to Bologna.
Consul General Elmer G. Cato delivers a message to the Filipino-Italian children and their parents
Adding a few finishing touches to her haluhalo
The next day was the first day of the BCBF. I had been warned that riding the bus to the venue would be a challenge, but I didn’t realize how packed it would be. I am happy to report that my fellow Pinoys and I were unfazed, thanks to our previous experience riding the MRT during rush hour.
With Fran Alvarez, the illustrator of Hating Kapatid and Hati Pa Rin! at the entrance to the Fair.
I had several meetings lined up with foreign publishers for the duration of the fair. It’s typical for appointment-setting to begin in the months prior. As a result, many agents and publishers are often fully booked by the time the fair rolls around. The ultimate objective of these meetings is to buy and sell translation rights to picture books, young adult novels, and comics. But the first step is establishing (and maintaining) relationships with other publishers.
Thanks to referrals from my colleagues and serendipitous emails from all over the world, I was able to meet and converse with publishers from Spain, Iran, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the UK, the US, and many others. I also had the chance to tell publishers whose books we had translated that their books were well loved by Filipino children.
It was gratifying to learn that these publishers were no strangers to books from the Philippines, mainly due to NBDB’s efforts to promote Filipino books at international fairs. All over the world, publishers are opening up to stories from countries thousands of miles away. Often, as I narrated our stories to my foreign counterparts, they would react with smiles and chuckles—proof, I hope, that certain human experiences are universal.
With Begoña Lobo and Vicente Ferrer from Media Vaca, the original Spanish publishers of Ito ang Diktaduro (Así Es la Dictadura).
We talked about Diktadura’s continued popularity, Jose Rizal, and the Spanish-Filipino painter Fernando Zóbel
With Mitch Balladares of NBDB and Maria Leonardi and Peter Dowling of Oratia Books, from New Zealand.
The NBDB stand at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, with key visuals by Pergy Acuña and booth design by Liza Flores
With Ani Almario, Adarna House Vice-President for Product Development
With Ingrid Källström of IBBY. The Swedish edition of Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu was awarded the Peter Pan Prize in 2013, and was recently featured in an anthology of award winners.
Enjoying a tortellini in brodo lunch with Fran
With Ergoe Tinio of CANVAS, Frances Ong of Tahanan Books, and Christofere Fila of Lantana Publishing.
With Lucia Obi of the International Youth Library (IYL). The IYL publishes the White Ravens Catalog, a yearly selection of book recommendations for young people. Several Adarna House titles have already been featured in this catalog.
The book fair went by in a whirl of activity. Before I knew it, it was time to pack up my bags—much heavier now because of the books I’d bought at the fair—and head home. I would miss talking books with like-minded people, together with all the pasta and gelato. But I’m hopeful that this is only the beginning for Filipino children’s books at the BCBF.
I could fill notebooks with everything I’ve learned from the fair, but If there’s anything I was surprised to discover, it’s that nothing beats a face-to-face meeting to establish new relationships. Each time someone expressed interest in a certain book, I was more than happy to crack it open and tell them more about it. Seeing their reactions in real time was truly rewarding. I’m grateful to the NBDB for this opportunity, and to my fellow grantees for an unforgettable experience.