All set! The Children's Book Fair begins this Wednesday with free admission.

Unlike last year's edition, which was marred by disputes between the National Secretariat of Culture and the El Libro Foundation, organizer of the publishing industry's most prominent fairs, this time the 33rd Children's and Young Adult Book Fair was organized much more smoothly. Thus, it will open its doors this Wednesday , a few days before the start of winter break, with free admission and dozens of activities .

“We hope that the public attendance and sales will match the growth seen at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair in April and May . More than 180 schools will visit us, and the program will feature 76 exhibitors , publishers, and booksellers. We'll have storytelling, illustration workshops, theater performances, science workshops, and recreational activities. In addition, this year we're revamping our image: we'll be joined by three characters we incorporated through an illustration contest, the winner of which was young designer Nehuén Costa,” Christian Rainone, president of the El Libro Foundation, explained to Clarín .

The Fair will be located on the ground floor of the Palacio Libertad (formerly the CCK), entering through Sarmiento 151. The first three days will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., but from Saturday, July 19th to Sunday, August 3rd, it will be open in the afternoon, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For the third consecutive year, the official opening (which will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. in the Hall of Honor) will feature a speech , this year by María Teresa Andruetto , a figure in contemporary Argentine literature, recognized for her work promoting reading and her work aimed at both adults and children.

From Medellín and amid a marathon of activities, the Córdoba-born author told Clarín that she feels "very honored by this invitation" and recalled that her predecessors were writer and editor Canela in 2023 and illustrator Pablo Bernasconi last year.

Andruetto knows every corner of the writing world: she has published essays, novels, short story collections, poetry collections, and books for children and young people. For forty years, she has participated in various ways in the construction of a reading society . She has received, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts Award, the Ibero-American Lifetime Achievement Award in Children's Literature, the National University of Córdoba Culture Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Platinum Konex Award, and the National Endowment for the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in Literature.

"I think this ritual of the opening speech is also a way to give greater relevance to the Children's and Young Adult Book Fair. So that the very heart of the Fair is about books, writing, authorship, and illustration," the writer considered.

Andruetto co-directs a collection of Argentine female storytellers at EDUVIM University Press and shares a short story each week on the radio program Nada del otro mundo. She is the author of Una lectora de provincia (Ampersand, 2023), Como si eran fábulas (As if they were fables ) (As if they were fables) ( The Art of Storytelling ) (Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2025), to name just her most recent works.

And although he can't predict the content, he assured that he's working on a speech that will focus on "some bright spots to help us move forward in such difficult times."

Illustrator Nehuén Costa, 23 , was chosen from more than 90 entrants as the winner of the contest to create the fair's official characters . The jury included artist Poly Bernatene, the president of the organizing committee, Gabriela Pérez, and the director of the El Libro Foundation, Ezequiel Martínez.

Costa was born in San Juan and has lived in Bahía Blanca since childhood , where he trained as a draftsman and watercolorist. He graduated in 2024 from the Illustration Technician program at the Lino Enea Spilimbergo School of Visual Arts and is a member of the Argentine Association of Draftsmen .

His creations, inspired by native fauna and Argentina's geography, will seek to establish a new visual connection between the fair and its younger audience. "I'm very excited to represent the Children's Book Fair with the characters Lili, Lina, and Lolo. I hope the presence of these friends can nourish its aesthetic and, more importantly, interact with children and families. They were created with great care, and I look forward to seeing them grow little by little in this edition," he commented.

The Fair will feature the participation of more than 70 publishers, bookstores, institutions, and distributors and will offer a program of activities for children, young people, and their families to connect with the world of literature.

Highlights include book presentations, performances by El Juglar and Chancle Cia at Cuentacuentos (ground floor), science workshops by the Melquíades Group held daily in room 121, StromLab with activities designed for teenagers on the Terrace of the National Auditorium (fourth floor), Youth Events in room 511 every weekend, and Comic Book Festivals with renowned national authors. The Argentine Cartoonists Association will also be present, holding daily workshops in room 102.

Clarín has selected activities for the first four days of the 33rd Children's and Young Adult Book Fair, from this Wednesday to Sunday, to conduct initial visits.

On Wednesday , at 10:00 a.m., participants can participate in the storytelling and puppet show led by Any González for children ages 4 to 7 on the ground floor. At the same time, the Melquíades Group will host an experimental exhibition titled "The Scientific Explorer" in the Science Workshop on the first floor. In the afternoon, there will be a challenge: Playing Hide and Seek with Paper and Pencil . Participants will read a story about animals at 3:00 p.m., and each participant will use a piece of paper with a paint stain to find the shape of a small animal. This challenge will be led by Marta Rosana in the Art Workshop.

On Thursday , activities begin at 10:00 a.m. with the dramatized storytelling "Aéreo. Three Tales, One Story" by Malumba Teatro for children ages 5 to 12 in the Storyteller's room on the ground floor. At the same time, freestyle will take center stage with Martín Fierro Trapa, a collective freestyle payada with an open microphone and a hip-hop gaucho brawl to celebrate the more than 150th anniversary of the publication of the narrative poem written by José Hernández. The event will take place on the terrace of the National Auditorium on the fourth floor. In the afternoon, participants can participate in the storytelling show "Tonino and Other Tales from the Jungle" in Spanish and Argentine Sign Language at 3:00 p.m. in the Storyteller's room on the ground floor.

On Friday , at 10:00 a.m., the family will enjoy a super-fun and engaging storytelling show, where puppets are part of the stories told by Nanucuentos (Mariana Spalj) in the Storyteller's section on the ground floor. In the afternoon, playful and creative tools for creating characters , taking into account their values and emotions, will be presented. The show will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the Art Studio on the first floor.

And for the weekend , you have to schedule: