Italy
124
Ferrara, Antonio (text/illus.)
Come i pini di Ramallah (Like the pine trees in Ramallah)
Firenze : Fatatrac, 2003. – 63 p.
(I nuovi ottagoni ; 39)
ISBN 88-8222-101-6
Israel – Palestine – War – Hope
In this book, readers can picture the colours and even imagine the smells of a
troubled land. It presents the parallel diaries of two 10-year-old boys at the
time of the second Intifada: David, an Israeli child, and Mohammed, a
Palestinian boy. While David lives in Jerusalem, where people live in constant
fear of terrorist attacks, Mohammed’s home town is Ramallah, where people
are afraid to be killed by Israeli soldiers. Then, one day, the two children
meet: This short encounter gives them new insights, a little more hope for the
future and makes them dream of a possible peace. The author perfectly manages
to convey the thoughts and feelings of the two protagonists, a fact that is
important because – as David states – »children do have something to say
about the war, but nobody listens to them.« (9+)
<>
125
Gatti, Fabrizio
Viki che voleva andare a scuola (Viki who wanted to go to school)
Milano : Fabbri, 2003. – 261 p.
ISBN 88-451-8114-6
Emigration – Racism – Integration – School
In order to write this book, the author Fabrizio Gatti pretended to be an
illegal immigrant and went to live in a shantytown on the outskirts of Milan.
He tells the story of an Albanian boy, Viki, who dreams of a new life in
Italy. It is not easy, though, because many Italians seem to have forgotten
that, not that long ago, a lot of them were emigrants, too. The harsh story
describes the terrible journey – jammed into a small boat like prisoners –
then his life as an illegal immigrant living in fear and misery, and
eventually Viki’s attempts to fit in at school, where at the beginning »the
other children were queueing up to see me close up.« Despite of this, Viki
never loses heart in this contradictory reality of cruel indifference and
fragments of generosity. (12+)
<>
126
Levi, Lia
La lettera B : i sei mesi che hanno sconvolto la mia vita (The letter B : the six months that completely changed
my life)
Milano : Mondadori, 2003. – 163 p.
(Junior bestseller)
ISBN 88-04-52165-1
Friendship – Everyday life – Diversity
Ilaria, the 12-year-old heroine of this novel, narrates her quiet, ordinary
family life that is suddenly turned upside down. She is forced to share her
world with two other children: Babu, an Indian orphan whom Ilaria’s parents
are going to adopt, and her cousin Alina, whose mother, a journalist, has been
kidnapped by the Taliban. In her account – always gentle in style and at
times slightly ironical – Ilaria describes big world events like September
11 and the war in Afghanistan. But she also gives a description of her daily
effort to grow up, to cope with all the changes in her life, always asking
herself questions about her feelings, the whole world, and life as such. (12+)
<>
127
Madia, Claudio (text)
Cantone, Annalaura (illus.)
Manuale di piccolo circo
(Handbook for a small circus)
Milano : Feltrinelli Kids, 2003. – 199 p.
(Feltrinelli kids : Sbuk)
ISBN 88-07-92062-x
Circus – Wonder – Game – Creativity
Who on earth will be interested in a handbook for a circus? Still, if you
enter into the spirit of the »small circus«– not the one with exotic
animals, but the circus of acrobats and jugglers – you will certainly be
fascinated, not least because of the gorgeous illustrations by Anna Laura
Cantone. The book is rich in practical tips introduced in a simple and winning
way which may help children to learn about the possibilities of expression
inherent in the human body. In addition, it also teaches readers how to make
objects using plain materials, which can become means of communication and
entertainment. This is a very original book for kids who will discover the
secrets of a »circus in a suitcase«, but also for adults who want to share
this pleasure with children. (10+)
128
Mariniello, Cecco (text/illus.)
È strano Beppino (Beppino is odd)
Padova : Ed. Messaggero Padova, 2003. – 46 p.
(I gatti bianchi)
ISBN 88-250-1240-3
Differentness – Book – Monster
In this book, the theme of being different is presented to children in a witty
and amusing way. After the death of his parents, Beppino goes to live with his
aunt, uncle, and cousins. They are quite a ‘normal’ family, meaning they
watch a lot of TV and usually go along with the fashion. They shake their
heads at Beppino and mutter »Beppino is definitely weird!« simply because
his interests and tastes sound odd to them: He loves reading adventure books,
has many friends from faraway countries and has a passion for monsters. One
day, he finally comes across some friendly monsters who invite him to spend an
unforgettable day in their secret underground city. (4+)
129
Masini, Beatrice (text)
Monaco, Octavia (illus.)
La spada e il cuore : donne della Bibbia
(The sword and the heart : women in the Bible)
San Dorligo della Valle (Trieste) : Ed. EL, 2003. – 119 p.
(Sirene ; 6)
ISBN 88-477-1296-3
Bible – Woman
This book, which results from an imaginative and even fanciful reading of the
Bible and Jewish legends, is part of the collection »Sirene« – a series of
stories about women. The author narrates seventeen tales about Eve, Ruth, and
Judith, but also about Lilith and little Mary, varying in tone and form: There
are first-person narrations as well as dialogues. They portray a life of
labour and hard work, often in a distant world made of sand, long marches in
the desert, and loneliness, which the women are only able to deal with through
patience and determination. Each story is accompanied by an impressive colour
plate by Octavia Monaco. (10+)
Special
Mention
130
Nava, Emanuela / Mazzoleni, Khurshid (text)
Guicciardini, Desideria (illus.)
Sognando l’India (Dreaming about India)
Casale Monferrato (AL) : Piemme Junior, 2003. – 112 p.
(Il battello a vapore : Serie azzurra ; 58)
ISBN 88-384-3563-4
Italy – India – Children – Culture – Difference
This book was written by ‘four hands’, the author and her Indian-born son,
that is, whom she adopted when he was seven. Now he is eleven, but he still
remembers the life in his native country quite well. In a lively style, the
first-person narrator continuously compares the two different ways of life.
Apart from that, he also relates many traditional Indian stories about tigers,
holy men, maharajas, and sorcerers. »Italian children don’t do anything at
all. Back in India I used to carry hay over my head, I used to plant the
garden, and fry spicy pancakes.« In the foreground, we see different
conditions of life for children and different conceptions of freedom. The
style is ironical – even unconventional at times – and everything is
presented in a very direct way. This original and curious book may help
readers to reflect on cultural differences in an open and stimulating way.
(7+)<>
131
Negrin, Fabian (text/illus.)
In bocca al lupo (In the jaws of the wolf )
Roma : Orecchio Acerbo, 2003. – [28] p.
ISBN 88-900693-7-6
Wolf – Girl – Love – Angel
The protagonists of this highly refined small masterpiece are Little Red
Riding Hood and the rest of the cast from the well-known fairy tale of that
title. The pictures, the landscape, and the atmosphere, however, are
completely different, so that the tale assumes new meanings. Adolf, the wolf,
is fascinated by a lovely little girl dressed in red, who in turn also finds
the wolf simply gorgeous. »Are you an angel by any chance?« she asks him.
But then, by sheer accident, she somehow falls into the jaws of the wolf, who
– quite unwillingly – devours her and then yields to despair. Killed by
the hunter, the angel-wolf lives on a cloud and looks down onto his lost twin
spirit – still hungry. Very suitable for reading aloud, this book inivites
people of all ages to always listen to both sides of a story. (4+)
132
Novelli, Luca (text/illus.)
Archimede e le sue macchine da guerra (Archimedes and his war machines)
Trieste : Ed. Scienza, 2003. – 112 p.
(Lampi di genio)
ISBN 88-7307-237-2
Science – Archimedes
This book is part of a series of popular non-fiction books for children about
the lives and discoveries of scientists from all ages. Here, it is Archimedes
who tells us about his childhood, his travels, his research work in the
library in Alexandria, and the awe-inspiring war machines he built although he
was a peace-loving person. The story keeps running smoothly, the chapters
follow in quick succession, and the language is fresh and conversational. The
pages are filled with cartoons and hatched drawings and contain amusing
anecdotes. Short informative tables are scattered across the narration and a
»small Archimedian dictionary« can be found at the end of the book. (9+)
133
Pace e tocco terra (Peace and I touch ground )
Roma : Ed. Lapis, 2003. – [28] p.
(I Lapislazzuli)
ISBN 88-87546-72-x
War – Dreams – Peace
In a world where many people seem to think that war is the only way to solve
conflicts, the need for peace is growing. This book offers a collection of
short stories, poems, and ballads. The six authors and the six illustrators
– all of them Italian – are masters in the art of playing with words and
pictures. Their texts, very different in genre and style, have a common aim:
Against all apparent logic, they suggest the idea of a world where it is
actually possible to have peace. In her poem No gravity, for example,
Silvia Roncaglia pictures a world in which war becomes impossible because of a
law of physics. Ennio Cavalli, Emanuela Nava, and Nicola Cinquetti present a
modern tale, and Aquilino a script, while Arianna Papini has written a
rap-song for peace. (8+)<>
134
Quarenghi, Giusi (text)
Orecchia, Giulia (illus.)
Lupo lupo, ma ci sei? (Wolf, wolf, are you there?)
Firenze : Giunti Kids, 2003. – [24] p.
ISBN 88-09-03033-8
Wolf – Fear
This lovely lift-the-flap book is particularly suitable for reading aloud with
an expressive voice. It is written in the form of a dialogue and created
according to the technique of »trompe d’oeil«, so that the pictures keep
deceiving the reader because things are never quite what they seem to be and
always hide a new surprise. A little girl dressed in red keeps calling the
wolf, who never appears. When you lift the flap, the figure that you might
have considered to be the wolf turns into a different animal or thing, even
into the girl’s own mother. This picture book offers a continuous succession
of suspense and relief, a pleasant game of ambiguity. (4+)
135
Rapaccini, Chiara (text/illus.)
M’ama (Mother or Still she loves me <pun>)
Milano : Buena Vista, 2003. – 133 p.
(I libri che accendono)
ISBN 88-8437-081-7
Mother – Child
»What is your mother like?« In an ironical way, the author portrays fourteen
different types of mothers: the nosy parker (one of the worst), for example,
who peeps into her children’s diaries, the octopus-type, far too
affectionate and almost suffocating, the always-rushing mother, and the plump
one (definitely the nicest). Nevertheless, there is only one who is really
bad: the mother of Hänsel and Gretel. The stories, enriched with
many witty black-and-white drawings, almost seem like ‘exercises in
style’: In turn they sound like pages from a diary, letters, e-mails,
advertisement slogans, soap operas, news reports and even advice in etiquette
from the good old days. At the end, you can find »mummy cards« to cut out
and assemble so that you can create your own ideal ‘specimen’! (10+)