Beehive at Bologna Children's Book Fair!

15 April 2025

Earlier this month, Ellie and Rhiannon took a whirlwind trip to the biggest event in the children's publishing calendar: the Bologna Children's Book Fair! Armed with stacks of fabulous artist portfolios (and comfortable shoes), they took on the enormous halls of Bologna Fiere to immerse themselves in this hub of the children's book publishing world.

When publishing today is so desk-based and often remote, it was a real thrill to feel this vibrant community coming together, sharing the same space, and buzzing amid such a creative atmosphere. BCBF's emphasis on making the event one where illustrators feel welcomed and supported is unique; from the Illustrator's Survival Corner to the Illustrator Café and the Illustrator's Wall, it was incredible to see the high calibre of talent all around, as well as dedicated spaces for artists to showcase their work and receive advice from industry professionals.

While we flew around the halls between exciting meetings with clients old and new, we spied so many of the titles our wonderful illustrators have worked hard on recently on the stands of publishers from around the world!

But the highlight of the fair was, of course, having the opportunity to finally meet some of our Beehive illustrators in person! After many years of speaking via email, it's incredibly special to connect face-to-face. Thank you to the lovely illustrators who made the journey and met up with us at the fair!

Clockwise from top left: meeting Javier Joaquín and celebrating his incredible work with NuiNui; meeting Elisa Rocchi; meeting Thaís Mesquita; meeting Marina Halak; a much-needed espresso fix with Javier Joaquín and Arianna Bellucci; meeting Nelli Aghekyan.

Now we've returned, we're buzzing with inspiration for the year ahead, and looking forward to getting down to work on what we do best: working with our amazing illustrators to create books to be proud of!