Little Beetle Press at Bologna Children's Book Fair 2026 – Representing Ukrainian and Irish Creativity

In April 2026, Little Beetle Press attended the Bologna Children’s Book Fair for the very first time. For four inspiring days, our team immersed itself in meetings, exhibitions, lectures, presentations, and conversations with publishing professionals from around the world. We met wonderful people, discovered exciting new book projects, and introduced our own stories to an international audience. Several of our books attracted interest from international publishers, opening conversations about future collaborations, translations, and rights opportunities.

What Is the Bologna Children’s Book Fair?

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is an international annual event gathering all the professionals who work in the children’s book industry across the world. You can meet publishers, printers, illustrators, booksellers, mobile developers, teachers and so many more. The fair is mainly used to buy or sell rights of books between publishers from different countries.

The 2026 edition is the 63^rd and welcomed more than 30.000 publishing professionals. Important/ Major awards were handed out, recognizing the books’ originality and powerful illustrations and texts. Through its many exhibitions, workshops, presentations, and panel discussions, the Fair celebrated creativity, diversity and the world of children’s books in general, making it an essential meeting point for the entire industry.

Little Beetle Press at the Ukrainian Book Institute Booth

Little Beetle Press exhibited as part of the Ukrainian Book Institute Booth, alongside many Ukrainian publishers – some of whom have previously collaborated with our founder, Halyna Budilova. The Ukrainian Book Institute, supported by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, promotes reading, supports publishers and translation initiatives, and helps bring Ukrainian literature to international audiences.

Being part of the Ukrainian national stand was a deeply meaningful experience, both professionally and personally. As an Irish-based Ukrainian publishing house, it felt incredibly important to stand alongside other Ukrainian publishers and present contemporary Ukrainian children’s literature to the world.

The atmosphere at the stand was warm, supportive, and collaborative. At the same time, Little Beetle Press itself is built around international creative partnerships. We work with authors, illustrators, designers, translators, and musicians from Ukraine, Ireland, other European countries, Australia, and the USA. For us, Bologna reflected something very important about modern children’s publishing – today, stories are created through cultural exchange, collaboration, and shared imagination across borders.

What Little Beetle Press Presented and Explored

At the Fair, Little Beetle Press presented a carefully curated selection of books focused on emotional intelligence, imagination, resilience, diversity, acceptance, and gentle storytelling. We were especially proud to present our newest title, A Very Very Happy Book – the latest addition to our Emotional Explorers series. The book celebrates emotional resilience, creativity, play, and the importance of finding joy even during difficult moments. The Fair also gave us the opportunity to discover many inspiring international projects that closely aligned with our own values and mission.

What Comes Next?

Participating in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair opened many exciting professional opportunities for Little Beetle Press. We connected with publishers, illustrators, translators, and creative professionals from many different countries, and we hope these conversations will grow into future collaborations and international projects.

As a small independent Irish publishing house with strong Ukrainian roots, it was incredibly encouraging to see such genuine interest in our books and creative approach. We hope these new connections will help Little Beetle Press stories reach even more children, families, libraries, and schools around the world through future translations, partnerships, and cultural exchanges.

In the meantime, Little Beetle Press books are available directly through the Little Beetle Press website and on Amazon making them accessible to families, educators, and readers worldwide.

During the Fair, we also visited the “Serendipity” exhibition organised by the Illustrators Guild of Ireland and RiSalto Bottega Creativa. Seeing Irish illustrators showcased in Bologna alongside artists from around the world felt particularly meaningful for us as an Irish-based publishing house with strong international and Ukrainian roots. The exhibition beautifully captured the magic of creative encounters and unexpected artistic connections – something that reflects the spirit of Little Beetle Press itself.

Written by Elen Fichou

Halyna Budilova and Margaret Anne Suggs

Halyna Budilova, Tatyana Feeney and Elen Fichou