Italy
131
Bordiglioni, Stefano (text)
Monaldini, Mauro (illus.)
Scuolaforesta (Forest school)
Trieste : Einaudi Ragazzi, 2001. - 86 p.
(Einaudi Ragazzi : Storie
e rime ; 141)
ISBN 88-7926-353-6
School - Pupil - Species - Animals
Can a school-class be compared with a small zoo? In this book, Stefano
Bordiglioni, a teacher in real life, pretends to be a behavioural scientist
who classifies the »small animals« in a witty mock-Latin. He names various
species, such as the cicada-girl (Puella La La), the kangaroo-boy (Hop Hop),
the old-goat-boy (Puer Dongiovannis), and the particularly strange Puer WWF.
This animal show is extremely entertaining, and, at the same time, fairly
realistic. The language perfectly matches the seemingly serious tone of the
narration. The lively illustrations fit in well with the text and complement
it to make the story a delightful read also for younger children. And for
teachers, it will prove useful, too ...! (9+)
132
Campana, Susanna / Falsini, Camilla
(text/illus.)
Maschere
(Masks)
Napoli : I Colori del Mondo [et al.], 2001. - [48] p.
(I riquadri)
ISBN 88-311-8068-1
Venice - Carnival - Commedia dell'Arte - Fancy dress - Masks
This book features the figures of the Commedia dell'Arte, which are still
characteristic for the Italian carnival. In a few words, each of them
introduces his or her own character and mentions the (many) weaknesses or
(few) strengths. Costumes and colours resemble those of the original character
cast, yet, at the same time, the figures themselves are presented in an
attractively and imaginatively distorted way. They powerfully spread
themselves across the pages, just as loud disrespectful fellows should, who
are used to entertaining the common people in the streets as well as the
aristocrats in the theatres with their jokes and pranks. Short and useful
instructions about how to make the costumes and the stage decorations,
complement the book. (8+)
133
Cantone, Anna-Laura
(text/illus.)
Una storia ingarbugliata (An intricate story)
Milano : Fabbri, 2001. - [28] p.
ISBN 88-451-2639-0
Hair - Forgetfulness
Matilde is completely
absent-minded. In order to remember all the different tasks she has to attend
to, she decides to make one knot for each task into her flowing red hair. But
immediately, birds mistake Matilde's head for an ideal nesting place. Luckily
enough, the hair cutter finds the perfect solution to this problem by giving
the girl the best haircut ever. Now the birds can build their nests in the
cut-off hair and Matilde's mother gets her an electronic organiser.
Everything's fine - at least as long as the batteries of the organiser keep
working. Matilde's story is accompanied by witty and fanciful, grotesque
two-page illustrations. A characteristic feature of this book is the use of
different types of paper, newspaper cuttings, and photographs of everyday
objects, which are turned into brilliant collages. (5+)
134
Cavalli, Ennio (text)
Maggioni, Federico (illus.)
Se nascevo gabbiano ... era peggio : (mezzo mondo visto da un bambino)
(If I had been born a seagull ... that would be worse : half the world seen by
a child)
Milano : Feltrinelli, 2001. - 171 p.
(Feltrinelli kids : Sbuk
; 47)
ISBN 88-07-92047-6
Boy - Everyday life - Observation
Clever thoughts about places, dinosaurs, pizzas, octopuses, mythology,
nudism, etc. are gathered in this book, each of them spread out over a few
pages and balanced by small suggestive black-ink drawings. The young and
curious first-person narrator notices that the world is full of interesting
objects worth thinking about. You may discover them while travelling - on a
holiday trip with your pesky parents - or even at home: e.g. single words or a
glass of chocolate spread. Some of the boy's thoughts are fairly profound: »Maybe
there would be no more wars if all the adjectives that can accompany the word
›hate‹ disappeared.« The readers who follow his direct, narrative
language suddenly look at life from a different perspective. (10+)
135
Costa, Nicoletta (text/illus.)
Giulio Coniglio : storie
per un anno (Giulio Rabbit : stories for a whole year)
Modena : Panini, 2001. - [44] p.
(Ragazzi)
ISBN 88-8290-282-x
Animals - Child - Everyday life - Friendship
Giulio Rabbit and his motley crowd of friends - mouse Tommaso, fox
Walter, goose Caterina - encounter the big small adventures of everyday life.
Young children will easily empathise with the stories and find simple
explanations for their own wishes and fears. Giulio learns not to be deceived
by the fox; he learns how to swim and asks the doctor to cure his cold. He
meets reindeer Renata, who is a member of staff working for Father Christmas,
and the book ends happily with a shining Christmas tree. This illustrator's
characteristic stroke, as careful and lively as usual, both captures and
delights readers. The perfect balance between drawings and colours makes this
book a treat for the eyes. (3+)
136
D'Adamo, Francesco
Storia di Iqbal (Iqbal's story)
San Dorligo della Valle (Trieste) : Ed. EL, 2001. - 155 p.
(Ex libris ; 96)
ISBN 88-477-0801-x
Pakistan - Child labour - Slavery - Rebellion
This is a fast-paced story, full of hope, tragical, and entertaining at
once. It denounces one of the worst plagues of our time, namely child slave
labour. These children are forced to help their poor parents pay off their
(sometimes ridiculously low) debts. The story in this book recalls a real
incident in Pakistan. Fatima, the fictitious narrator, describes the brave
uprising of a small group of children against their brutal employer and their
escape from a horribly violent and ignorant existence. Eleven-year-old Iqbal
Masih, the leader of this rebellion, was murdered in spring 1995 at the age of
thirteen. He became the symbol for this fight. (12+) <>
137
Denti, Roberto
Ancora un giorno : Milano
1945 (One more day : Milano 1945)
Milano : Mondadori, 2001. - 103 p.
(Storie d'Italia ; 5)
ISBN 88-04-49504-9
Italy/1945 - World War II - Child - Everyday life
It is easy to guess that this short tale does not contain many fictional
elements. In 1945, life in Milano was adventurous enough as to render further
imagination superfluous. Four boys live their »normal« lives during World
War II. Striving to understand the events, they observe the adults and try to
help wherever possible in order to feel more mature. Bomb attacks, the Black
Market, spies, scarcity of food: Using a surprisingly light and comprehensible
language, this book transports readers back into the horrible past, which is
also the sad present for many children today. A short historical summary at
the end explains the historical events of that time. Different periods of
Italian history are tackled in other books published in the same series. (10+)
138
Garilli, Alessia (text)
Cantone, Anna Laura (illus.)
Papavero con sorpresa (A poppy with a surprise)
Milano : Ed. Arka, 2001. - [28] p.
(Collana di Perle)
ISBN 88-8072-111-9
Parent - Child - Creativity
If you do not have enough money to buy Mama a bunch of flowers, you can
dig out a poppy instead and carry it home in a flowerpot. Yet, how
inconvenient, if a cricket hides inside the flower and keeps the neighbours
awake for hours. But so what! Marta faces such problems with intelligence and
a cheerful composure. Soon afterwards she presents her Daddy with a water
lily. What a lovely idea - except for this frog ... In this humorous and
beautifully illustrated book, the artist's preference for playing with
distorted forms and perspectives is clearly visible. Also characteristic for
her work is the way in which mood changes are mirrored in the lively facial
expressions of the amiable characters who are presented in an overly
caricaturesque manner. (4+)
139
Giraldo, Maria Loretta (text)
Bertelle, Nicoletta (illus.)
Un nuovo amico di Anna (A
new friend for Anna)
Cinisello Balsamo : San Paolo, 2001. - [40] p.
(Jam : Le mele rosse ; 2) (San Paolo junior)
ISBN 88-215-4386-2
Immigration - Multicultural society
In this book, with its large block capitals on almost square pages
accompanied by multi-coloured illustrations, Anna narrates a simple story that
might happen anywhere in the world: A boy with dark skin joins her class. He
comes from a foreign country. How many interesting tales about Africa, his
homeland, Emmanuel could tell them! In order to do so, however, he has to
learn Italian first. For the time being, the friendly glances and warm smiles
of his new classmates help him calm down and get used to his new life. Anna
imagines that, if she had to move to Africa, her freckles and red hair would
look extremely weird to the people there. Immediately she realises how much
richer their lives are going to be with their unusual new friend. (6+) <>
Special
Mention
140
Milani, Mino
Crespi Jacopo (Curly-headed Jacopo)
Milano : Fabbri, 2001. - 172 p.
(I delfini)
ISBN 88-451-2555-6
Northern Italy/19th century - Village - Poverty - Hunger - Uncle - Boy -
Test - Friendship
This book is yet another proof of Mino Milani's great narrative skill.
The story is set in Northern Italy in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Jacopo, a shy and frightened melancholic boy from a poor family with many
children, is sent to another village by his parents to live with his sinister
and mean uncle. He suffers hunger, works very hard, and meets many strangers
who are not always friendly towards him. One day, Jacopo and some other boys
have to travel down the river Ticino to bring several boats to the town of
Pavia. This is an acid test for Jacopo which eventually gains him recognition
and, moreover, makes him find work and a new friend, Veronica. The eventful,
exciting plot is told in a quiet voice full of emotion. The language is fluent
and elaborate, the presentation of the characters impressive, and the
description of the landscapes full of poetic power. In the epilogue, Antonio
Faeti praises the book's immense ethical power - and rightly so! (10+)
(Premio di Letteratura per Ragazzi »Insula Romana« ; 2001)
141
Nava, Emanuela (text)
Nascimbeni, Barbara (illus.)
La tigre con le scarpe da ginnastica (The
tiger with the gymnastics shoes)
Milano : Salani, 2001. - 63
p.
(I criceti ; 71)
ISBN 88-7782-985-0
Italy - Boy - Indian child - Friendship - Multicultural society -
Storytelling
How do you manage to squeeze stories about skunks, the sun and the moon,
headless women, green tigers, magicians, young monkies, Snow White, and
Christopher Columbus into a book of just 63 pages? It's easy. You just let two
children meet in the park of a city that is teeming with cars and commercials
and let them tell stories. Marco, son of Italian parents, and Khurshid, son of
Indian parents, become friends and exchange tales from their respective home
countries which they re-create individually while telling them. Even if this
sounds easy, it requires great skill to tell stories that are as refreshing
and imaginative as the ones which Emanuela Nava narrates in this small
booklet. Her text is supported by simple and friendly pen-and-ink drawings. (7+)
142
Roncaglia, Silvia (text)
Cerretti, Cristiana (illus.)
Aiuto, arrivano le amiche della mamma! (Help! Mama's friends are coming)
Firenze : Fatatrac, 2001. - [28] p.
ISBN 88-8222-079-6
Manners - Aversion
Mama's friends are a real pest. Whenever they come for a visit, Mama
comes up with a lot of absurd ideas, such as tidying up the bedrooms, behaving
(and even dressing) like small princes, etc. Sara and Luca would love to play
cannibals and throw the ladies into a huge cooking pot. Instead, they get
sticky kisses and are asked silly questions. At least, Mama's friends always
bring loads of caramels and other sweets. Anyway, Sara firmly promises herself
that she will behave differently when she is an adult. Cristiana Cerretti has
provided witty and lively illustrations for this story. The first and foremost
characteristics are their expressive forms and colours. Their dynamic and
vivacity are further increased by the hand-written text in block print. (8+)
143
Stoppa, Alfredo (text)
Cimatoribus, Alessandra (illus.)
Di tanto in tanto tondo tondo (Once
in a while, as round as a ball)
Pordenone : Ed. C'era una volta 2001. -
[32] p.
ISBN 88-86144-66-0
Father Christmas - Big city - Hectic - Art of living
Who is this little round man who glances at the sky waiting for the snow
that doesn't fall? Quite obviously, he is one of those fake Fathers Christmas
whom the big department stores like to hire. In any case, he is a weird
fellow: He doesn't even own a car! He loves to feel comfortable and lives in a
multi-coloured house with many books and a lovely garden among all the dull
grey houses of the hectic and noisy city. We can easily imagine the things he
doesn't like and would (probably) agree with him. The ingenious, atmospheric
pictures with their unconventional perspectives and details will impress
readers with their exquisite range of colours. For a while, they let the
readers become immersed in this tale of an outsider in our fast-moving time. (8+)