EU 4 Gender Equality @ Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Rewriting the Narrative: Stories Shaping the Future of Girls and Boys
Date:
Children’s books are often a child’s first encounter not only with stories, but with the gender norms that shape power, belonging and possibility. Through characters and narratives, children shape their understanding about who leads and who follows, who is expected to care, to decide, to explore, or to resist. These stories do not exist in isolation — they reflect and reinforce the broader social norms embedded in families, schools, markets and media.
At a time when gender equality faces growing backlash globally, children’s literature remains one of the most powerful spaces to expand imagination, challenge gender stereotypes, and influence the social norms that shape future generations.
“Our inspiration this year draws from Little Women, a timeless celebration of girls’ ambition, resilience, and self-determination. As Louisa May Alcott so beautifully wrote: “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” This idea lies at the heart of our mission. Because this is exactly what we strive for at UN Women: to ensure that every woman and every girl has the chance to learn how to navigate her own path to face challenges with confidence, to make her own choices, and to shape her own future”, - said Belén Sanz Luque, Regional Director for UN Women Europe and Central Asia.
To advance this conversation, ‘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.
Events
Workshop for Illustrators - Drawing equality: Gender sensitive illustration in children’s books
Date and time: 13 April 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Workshop Area, The Illustrator's Survival Corner, Hall 30, BCBF
In children’s books, visual cues are rarely neutral. Long before children learn to question what they see, illustrations begin to signal who is “good” and who is “bad,” who is meant to be admired and who is meant to be feared. Characters who are kind are often drawn as soft, open and beautiful, while those cast as villains tend to appear harsh and exaggerated. Over time, these patterns shape how children connect appearance, behaviour and identity — including ideas about gender equality.
It is within this visual language that many of the earliest social norms take root. Through color, shape, posture and expression, illustrations help define roles and expectations for girls and boys, often long before these ideas can be named or challenged.
At the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the workshop ‘Drawing Equality: Gender-sensitive illustration in children’s books’ invites illustrators to examine these patterns more closely.The session brings together participants from from Europe and Central Asia Region and beyond to explore how such visual codes are constructed — and how they can be reimagined.
Moving from reflection to practice, participants will experiment with alternative ways of depicting characters and environments, challenging gender stereotypes.
Led by: Ukrainian artists Jenya Polosina and Anna Ivanenko, co-founders of the studio Seri/graph
Panel Discussion - Stories that change us: gender equality through children’s literature
Date and time: 14 April 2026, 12:30–13:20
Location: The Next Chapter Café, located in Hall 29
While stories may begin with a writer or an illustrator, the worlds they create are shaped by a much wider ecosystem. From editorial decisions to market pressures, from publishing trends to distribution channels, every step in the life of a children’s book carries the potential either to reinforce gender stereotypes or to challenge them.
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.
The discussion moves beyond identifying the problem to asking what change looks like in practice. What does it take for inclusive stories not only to be written, but to be published, distributed and read? And how can different actors in the value chain work together to ensure that the next generation of children’s books expands, rather than limits, what children believe is possible?
Speakers:
- Paula Erizanu, Writer and Journalist, Author of the Courageous Little Hearts by the EU 4 Gender Equality
- Lena Karlsson, Gender Expert, EU DG ENEST
- Olga Osaulenko, Programme Manager, EU 4 Gender Equality programme, UN Women ECA.
- Arne Svingen, Author, International Secretary, PEN International
Moderator:
- Gvantsa Jobava, President, International Publishers Association
Public Talk - Who Gets to Be the Hero? Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Books
Date and time: 15 April 2026, 14:00–14:50
Location: The Next Chapter Café, located in Hall 29
Who gets to be brave? Who gets to lead, to explore, to take risks — and who is expected to wait, to care, to remain in the background?
In children’s literature, these roles are rarely assigned by accident. When certain male characters are consistently portrayed as adventurous, powerful or curious, while female are confined to being beautiful and caring, stories become a quiet but persistent force in shaping how children understand themselves and others.
This public conversation at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair turns that lens outward, asking not only how these patterns emerge, but how they can be rewritten. Bringing together two distinctive literary voices, the discussion explores how storytelling can expand — rather than limit — the possibilities children imagine for their lives.
Francesca Cavallo, bestselling author of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, has built a global readership by centering stories of girls who defy expectations and redefine what courage can look like. Alongside her, Alexandre Lordkipanidze — Georgian poet, playwright and novelist — brings a perspective shaped by cultural critique and narrative experimentation, questioning how gender norms are formed and how they can be disrupted.
Together, they reflect on the power of stories not only to mirror society, but to challenge it.
Speakers:
- Alexandre Lordkipanidze, Georgian poet, playwright and novelist
- Francesca Cavallo, Bestselling author of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
Moderator:
- Salome Benidze, Communications Specialist, UN Women ECARO
Meet the Speakers
Alexandre Lordkipanidze, Poet and Novelist, Georgia
Anna Ivanenko, Illustrator and comic artists, co-founder of studio Seri/graph, Ukraine
Arne Svingen, Author, International Secretary, PEN International
Francesca Cavallo, Bestselling author of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
Gvantsa Jobava, President of International Publishers Association (IPA)
Jenya Polosina, Kyiv-based illustrator and comic artist, co-founder of studio Seri/graph
Lena Karlsson, Gender Expert, EU DG ENEST
Olga Osaulenko, Programme Manager, EU 4 Gender Equality programme, UN Women ECARO
Olga Popovych, Kalamar Publishing House, Ukraine
Paula Erizanu, Writer and Journalist, Author of The Courageous Little Hearts (EU 4 Gender Equality)
Salome Benidze, Communications Specialist, UN Women ECARO