THE Books for children are a serious matter. It is clear every year to Bologna Children’s Book Fairthat is the boys book fair, which returns to the Emilian capital for the sixty -twoth edition, from March 31 to April 3, 2025. They are a serious thing for the importance and the vitality of literary production for childhoodconfirmed by the powerful structure of the Bolognese event, with its infinite international connections. But they are also for The themes they deal with. If the 2025 edition brings two large historical icons of literature for children such as Pippi Longstocking and the Pimpa in triumph, it is also the stage of contemporary stories. In which central themes are addressed for the lives of young people, and also very serious.
Books for girls?
This year, then, a strange novelty is reported. They are almost completely missingamong the over 4 thousand editorial news presented, Stories with male protagonists. In fact, there have been many more female tales for some time, but here, the organizers of the fair warn, the disappearance is shaved. And this mainly because, having removed the universe of serial comics, Males read less and less, and much less than girls.
So the publishing seems to have moved where the readers’ tank is wider and crowded. When the males are there, they are the protagonists of the reversal stories of the stereotypes, or they are “slaps”, or I am a dad.
At the Bologna Fair the books on nature and sustainability
The 2025 edition is dedicated to theme of sustainabilitydeclined in the 17 goals of the UN Agenda 2030, by virtue of the increasingly structured collaboration with the United Nations organization. For example, celebrate the publication in Italy, for Camelozampa, of the book In the forest by Eva Lindströmwinner of Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award: a reflection on our exist in nature, and on the consequent mutual modifications. But also of the innovative and illuminating – for Beccogiallo – Like water by Giulia acquaintances. But there is also the delicious The manual for small gardeners by Michael Holland and Maria Dek for the beaver.
Beatrice Alemagna at Bologna Children’s Book Fair
In edition 2025, the fair welcomes some big names in the sector. True guest star, known to all parents of preschoolers, there will be Beatrice Alemagna. Bolognese, winner in 2024 of her second Golden Medal of the Society of Illustrators in New York, wrote books that are milestones on the issues of inclusion, the reception of the different and self -acceptance. From The five malfatti to The wonderful cicciapelliccia. It is out for mice with His pulp height, mud princess. Hero, The young Yuki, struggling with his own anger and deep wounds.
The icons of yesterday and today: the Pimpa turns 50
Among the important presences we necessarily mention with his Pimpa, fresh fifty years old, altan (will participate in three appointments on March 31). It was July 13, 1975 when he published, on the pages of the “Corriere dei Piccoli”, the first adventure, Pimpa and the moon.
On the occasion of this birthday, Franco Cosimo Panini offers two special editions: the republication of The Pimpa arriveswhich tells the meeting between Armando and the Pimpa and Pimpa 50 comic stories, which collects an episode for each of the years of Pimpa. The complete calendar is on Pimpa.it.
Pippi Calzelunghe, 80 years old as a female icon
Especially in this 2025 they are celebrated The 80 years of Pippi Calzelunghe, an extraordinary female icon To pay homage to Donatella di Pietrantonio, Beatrice Alemagna and Simona Vinci with the great -grandpose of the author Johan Palmberg. Book known all over the world and translated into 80 languages- of which the last of the list is the Zulu- was written by Astrid Lindgren (1907- 2002) in 1944. At its release, even in Sweden, it caused a profound revolution of costumes and a great scandal among the right-thinking ones. Many of the girls who at the end of the sixties participated in the student movements, declared that they were inspired by Pippi.
For the occasion Salani publishes a new edition of his adventures, while the Boom Festival! Growing up in books celebrates it together with almost two thousand boys and girls who will be involved in a reading marathon aloud in the libraries of Bologna and the metropolitan city.
The heirs of Pippi Calzelunghe
If his revolutionary charge remains unparalleled, there are many exceptional girls of the books who have somehow followed in the footsteps. And, it must be said, I am enormously higher than the male protagonists, and with a completely different vitality.
This is the case of another girl who comes from Sweden, the protagonist of a series of bizarre and fun and pungent stories. AND Hedvigof the writer Frida Nilsson (in Sweden nominated three times for the August prize and in 2014 winner of Astrid Lindgren Prize) who, after the success of the previous book, returns with Hedvig and Valdemar illustrated by Ilaria Mancini (Lupoguido). In which Hedvig tells a thousand liesto try to pass the donkey Valdemar, angry, grumpy and irreverent, for a new neighbor. Manage them is no small feat but basically: “… the story that has invented is so beautiful that it does not want to ruin it.”
Protagonists of black fairy tales and daring novels
Among the epigones of Pippi at Bologna Children’s Book Fair there is also Chelthe protagonist of Ande Lande, The new novel by Antonia Murgo published by Bompiani. The protagonist is a girl who, in a country where everyone has at least fifteen names, has only one. A single syllable, which resembles the reverse of a bird and which marks a fate of solitude. Eager to change his future, however he senses that he is a sorceress on the earth: He just has to find someone who can train it.
Another epigone of Pippi is Albertinaprotagonist without voice of the dark fairy tale Fog pain (Emons Italy) by Nicoletta Gramantieri. A novel set in a cursed village, populated by characters of archetypal thickness such as Matto Minghinì, the Iolanda embroiderer, the Fosca witch and the true lame.
«Blood, spiders, eruption volcanoes, parents who kiss – I never close your eyes. I want to see everything, apart from now »: word of Fitz, twelve -year -old protagonist of Plasterthe fourth novel by Anna Woltz published by Beisler. Returning from the separation of his, ends up in the emergency room for a bike fall on the snow. An ironic and daring story Which speaks of bodies and blood, of operated hearts and cut bones, broken families and young lovers. Who is not afraid to tell abortions and solitudes, without taboos.
Small spies and explorers
Protagonist of The Spies Club (illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans for Piemme) by Marie-Aude Murail (Hans Christian Andersen 2022 award) is Romarine. At the head of a club of spies composed of only males, He directs investigations and lives fun adventures.
Then return to Bologna Children’s Book Fair Mina: the Staba and unruly girl who does not want to get off the tree Of The story of Mining. In the new book, Mina and the dream of paper (illustrated by Kirsti Beautyman and published by Salani), David Almond tells his visit to Kyoto with his mother. For the occasion, the girl turns into a silent witness of an extraordinary world, and far from his, and ours.
Simply Maria By Jay Hardwig arrives for the types of Uovoneri. Protagonist, a girlblindly: people believe it is magical As it “sees” things, as it listens to them and perceives them. He has no superpowers, he just wants to be herself, until a schoolmate asks her to open an investigative agency.
Witches in girls books (and boys)
Female icons are also witches, characters all to be rehabilitated. For Settenove, publishing house attentive to the prevention of discrimination and gender -based violence, it comes out It happened to Salem by Jonah Winter with the images of Brad Holland. He tells what happened in 1692 in Salem, a colony of Massachusetts, where the granddaughter and daughter of the preacher of the village accused of the sixty -two innocent people. “There were no witches in Salem. […] There was a pile of people who are too frightened / To denounce this horror and this injustice / people who remained silent. / What would you do? ” A question that opens to many others.
It accounts with stereotypes and prejudices too Post -darkness. Death to the witch by Valentina Federici (Il Castoro), who tells of Léa Buchen Arrived with her sister in Péligny, in French Switzerland in the year 1895 just as a mysterious disease generates panic. Accused of witchcraft, It is condemned to death. Her sister Mimì will try to save her.
From the nineteenth century we have moved in the future with The witches of Venice by Sébastien Perez, with the dream illustrations of Marco Mazzoni out for the hippocampus. Simone is sixteen and lives in Italy of 2045, a country marked by segregation following a terrible epidemic. The future is intertwined with the events of a witch who lived in Venice of the 1400s, perhaps at the origin of the decline of the world.
Scientists, models for girls and girls
Female icons in flesh and blood are Land scientists of our time: to their editorial science launches a new edition of Women in scienceawarded with Andersen for best disclosure series. New graphics and new covers to tell the lives of Margherita Hack, Lise Meitner, Jane Goodall and Mary Anning narrated by the pen of Simona Cerrato, Christiana Ruggeri and Annalisa Strada.
I woman © RESERVED REPRODUCTION