More pics, less words from Bologna

Where would the Bologna International Children's Book Fair be without these small people who aren't allowed into it?

But the Book Fair is a serious business.  And authors and illustrators' futures can sometimes depend on it.   Their publishers may need to sell foreign rights to survive, and make sure their work ends up in childrens' hands.

I discovered this baby in central Bologna.  Wenzel Saves the World, is a poor snap of one of Nikolaus Heidelbach's arresting illustrations in the exhibition of his work off the Piazza Maggiore, open until April 17. His beautifully crafted, sometimes disturbing images stayed with me like questions.  Here's another from a book about food...

But back to the Fair, starting with a snippet from the famous Illustrator wall.  

The 3D stuff this year stood out  - though not always their names...  

I've always had a problem with illustrations displays.  Most children's illustrators aren't working for  walls but for books.  The Lithuanian artists' exhibition had the best solution I've seen to remind us of this:

 

and look at the slots where the book was available for consultation!

There's a nice School Library Journal review of some of the Illustrator Competition winners.

Here are some others I liked and snapped (again apologies for the photo quality).  

But no trace of an online catalogue so I regret giving my printed catalogue away (I was over my luggage limit) so help -  I don't have their names!   Can anyone tell me who they are?

Wonderful to wander through the US area and come across  the name of a friend on the Scholastic  wall...Way to go Brian!  

We invited Brian Karas to speak at our SCBWI Bologna conference in....was it 2005?  He makes great dummies, books AND trailers for his books.   In his trailer for Neville, he talks about his process and the emotion behind that picture book.

And wonderful also to be with another friend, SCBWI international ARA wonder woman, Angela Cerrito as she discovers a copy of her first book The End of the Line for the first time at the Holiday House US publishers' stand!  Hot off the press as it's out this month - yay!

Spotted on a poster for a book on the Blue Apple / Chronicle stand,

is a question which could also apply to publishing,  illustrators, authors, ideas...