Reopened Italian children’s bookshop a symbol of hope for publishing’s future: Bodour Al Qasimi

 Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi has likened the phoenix-like rise of the Giannino Stoppani kids’ bookstore, devastated by fire last year, to the optimistic future of children’s publishing and the bookselling sector at large.

Sheikha Bodour was visiting the recently reopened bookshop in Bologna, Italy, following renovations part-funded by the Sharjah World Book Capital Office (SWBCO) after flames tore through the building in May 2022.

As Head of the Advisory Committee, Sheikha Bodour instructed the SWBCO to donate €50,000 to the fundraising campaign, joining a collective of international donors that helped repair structural damage and recover thousands of damaged books and stock items.

Reaffirming Sharjah’s commitment to promoting and preserving centres of knowledge and learning for young people everywhere, Sheikha Bodour said, “Giannino Stoppani’s return to business is a proud moment for the whole publishing industry.

Together we have enabled an important kids’ bookstore to pursue its important mission of enriching young minds with literature, and we will continue to support booksellers wherever we can. I am filled with joy to see the store again full of curious young readers hungry for stories.”

Established in 1983, the Giannino Stoppani store is part of Bologna’s Palazzo Re Enzo and was named after the hapless protagonist of the 1907 children's novel Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca (‘A Bad Boy’s Diary’). One of Italy's 10 leading independent bookshops, the store specialises in children’s books in Italian and other languages.

Led by the cultural vision of Sharjah’s leadership, the SWBC Office contributes to preserving cultural and academic institutions worldwide. In 2019, it announced substantial financial support for the McMillan Memorial Library’s restoration project in Nairobi, Kenya, led by the local non-profit, Book Bunk.

WAM