Digital Narratives for Children and Young People. Digital Narratives Observatory. Report 2026

What does it mean to read a story across digital environments? What forms do digital narratives take? How do they engage the reader, through participation, exploration, and co-creation? And what criteria helps us to recognise meaningful and engaging digital narratives beyond technical innovations or relying on interactivity and design trends? The Digital Narratives Observatory was created to address these questions. it has three different aims: to observe and map the characteristics of emerging digital narrative forms; to foster dialogue between research, publishing, and educational practice; and to provide orientation tools and evaluative frameworks for those who create, publish, promote, and teach stories in an increasingly digital context. In its first year, the Observatory has pursued these aims through several initiatives, also in collaboration with NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad). This report combines multiple sources and levels of analysis. It draws on an original survey conducted with exhibitors at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (2026), on a selective review of international research on children’s reading and digital narratives, and on an interpretive analysis of projects recognised by the BolognaRagazzi CrossMedia Awards