Picture books

An "upbeat" and busy Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025 has seen a marked appetite for shorter and illustrated works - despite there being no runaway book of the fair - though the grim state of geopolitics dimmed many fairgoers' moods.

The debut author on the importance of picture books, the connection between loss and love, and the beauty of illustration

There are picture books that engage, transport, amuse, intrigue, enchant, comfort, or even haunt adults, but that don't connect with the children who are their purported audience. This would be absolutely fine-picture books are a unique and endlessly variable art form-but it can be hard to overcome customers' resistance to buying them for themselves.  Read more

Fifteen years ago when I started working in publishing for Walker Books in London, the publishing world was primarily focused on the UK and the US picture book markets. Whilst it is still largely the case today, the industry is slowly changing and accepting more non-English publishers who promote their local authors and illustrators and sell rights successfully.  Read more