Join EU 4 Gender Equality events at Bologna Children’s Book Fair
The ‘EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence’ programme will participate in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the world’s leading event dedicated to children’s publishing, illustration, and storytelling.
On 13-16 April 2026, ‘EU 4 Gender Equality’ will host a series of conversations bringing together authors, illustrators, and publishing professionals to explore how children’s books can challenge gender stereotypes, amplify diverse voices, and inspire more inclusive stories for future generations.
Workshop for illustrators: ‘Drawing equality: Gender sensitive illustration in children’s books’
The activity will take place on 13 April 2026, 11:30 – 1:00. Led by Ukrainian artists Jenya Polosina and Anna Ivanenko, co-founders of the studio Seri/graph, the workshop will explore how through colour, shape, posture, and expression, illustrations help to define roles and expectations for girls and boys – and how they can be reimagined.
Location: Workshop Area, The Illustrator’s Survival Corner, Hall 30, BCBF.
Panel Discussion: ‘Stories that change us: gender equality through children’s literature’
The activity will take place on 14 April 2026, 12:30 – 13:20.
This panel brings together voices from across that ecosystem to examine how gender norms are produced and how we can challenge them. Moderated by Gvantsa Jobava, President of the International Publishers Association, the discussion connects the perspectives of a writer, a publisher, and programme and policy experts working to advance gender equality across the region.
Location: The Next Chapter Café, located in Hall 29.
Public Talk: ‘Who gets to be the Hero? Gender stereotypes in children’s books’
The activity will take place on 15 April 2026, 14:00 – 14:50.
This discussion will focus on how the gender stereotypes – adventurous males versus beautiful, caring females, quietly shaping children’s self-perception emerge – can be rewritten. Bestselling author Francesca Cavallo (Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls), who centres stories of courageous girls, joins Georgian writer Alexandre Lordkipanidze, who questions and disrupts gender norms through his cultural critique, to explore how storytelling can expand children’s possibilities.
Location: The Next Chapter Café, located in Hall 29.
Find out more
Bologna Children’s Book Fair website
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