Hooray – here we are in Bologna, ready for the start of the Bologna Book Fair tomorrow. We’ve had a wander round the centre and took in both the wonderful children’s bookshop, Libreria per Ragazzi in Via Rizzoli, just round the corner from the Piazza Maggiore, and the public library, which has superb facilities for kids.
The BolognaRagazzi award-winning books were all in the shop window at the Libreria per Ragazzi and we had a chance to browse through them all inside…
Some of Shaun Tan’s books in Italian were on prominent display – and we’re all very excited at the prospect of hearing him speak at the Fair tomorrow…
I asked the staff about their expectations for this year’s Bologna Book Fair and they told me that they had had concerns, because of the current economic climate – but actually, there seems to be a lot of interest and they’ve already had lots of people passing through the bookshop so they’re feeling optimistic.
The bookshop has a superb selection of books in both Italian and other languages (some of which proved irresistible!); there’ s a table and some chairs for small people to browse; and the staff are all pleasant and helpful – what more can you ask for?
We then escaped out of the rain (yes, it’s been raining…) into the Library. The exhibitions are being set up and promise to be worth a return visit. In the meantime, we popped into the children’s library – what a wonderful space and check out that gloriously tall book in the photo!
Then, off the main atrium, we discovered a new service offered by the library, in its own cosy space – Nati per Leggere or Born to Read. In the photo you can just see the edge of the rainbow-striped desk. There’s a small child’s coat hanging on the peg – and the delightful invitation on the door reads, in English, Take your child in your arms and read to him/her…
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