'The Bologna Children's Book Fair's 56th edition took place in Italy April 2019. The Fair featured 1442 exhibitors from 80 countries and reported that their number of foreign visitors was up 20% on 2018. For 40 years, I've been a children's librarian, reading wide-eyed about the Fair in journals, magazines and online. My speciality interest is books from birth to five years-old and this was the first year that the Fair had an exhibition of the best tod-dler books that the world has to offer, along with the inaugural prize—the chance to see this was irresistible.' (Introduction)