Italy
125
Carioli, Janna (text)
Quarello, Maurizio A. C. (illus.)
Nato straniero (Born a stranger)
Firenze : Fatatrac, 2006. – 111 p.
(I nuovi ottagoni : Ottagono junior)
ISBN 88-8222-136-9
Friendship – Living together – Illegal immigration
Dario,
the son of an immigrant, helps his father sell roasted corn at a street corner
after school. One day, after quarrelling with his father, who often feels
nervous and dispirited, the boy runs away and meets Ingrid, a punk girl. She
is the only person to help him. When they happen to witness a taxi driver
being killed, they decide to flee from both the murderers and the police who
do not believe their testimony. As they live together and try to survive
through mutual support, the bond between the two protagonists grows stronger
day by day and enables them to overcome racial and religious differences. Told
without sentimentality but still ending happily, the narrative points out how
young people can dispel prejudice with friendship, justice, and respect
towards other human beings. (10+) <>
126
D’Adamo, Francesco (text)
Johnny il seminatore (Johnny, the sower)
Milano : Fabbri, 2006. – 148 p.
(I delfini; 314: Storie, da 12 anni)
ISBN 88-451-1943-2
War – Pacifism – Personal growth – Social prejudice
Johnny,
the protagonist of this moving book, which is a passionate plea against war,
is an amiable young man whom everybody likes. Even if he doesn’t exactly
volunteer to fight in the war, he considers it his duty as a good citizen and
therefore reluctantly decides to join the armed forces. Nevertheless, once he
arrives at the front, he soon realises that there is nothing heroic about war.
On the contrary: His job is to »sow evil seeds«, i.e. deploy anti-personnel
mines, which maim or kill many innocent people. This soon drives him crazy and
completely changes his opinion about warfare. Eventually, he quits the service
and returns back home despite the fact that he is confronted with a lot of
hatred and wrath from people who do not accept his decision. (12+)
127
Detti, Ermanno (text)
Gilda : anni di piombo, anni d’amore (Gilda : years of lead, years of love)
Napoli : Liguori, 2006. – 100 p.
(Bibliotecagiovani; 2)
ISBN 88-207-3896-1
Italy/1970-1990 – Politics – Students’ movement – Terrorism – Love
This
story about terrorism deals with complex issues concerning the political
history and social life during a very difficult and fairly recent era in
Italian history. The different ideas behind the political movement during the
1970s and 1980s, which was also supported by the students’ movement, are
presented in a clear and articulate style devoid of any phrase-mongering. The
common ideal characterising all these movements was social justice, an ideal
which can lead to different ideological answers. Yet, this novel does not only
discuss serious political events and complications, it also features a moving
love story and touches upon all the responsibilities that are connected with
such a relationship. (12+)
128
Marchesini, Matteo
Come nuvole di roccia : Andrea Mantegna (Like rock clouds : Andrea Mantegna)
Milano : Motta Junior, 2006. – 85 p.
(L’occhiotattile; 2)
ISBN 978-88-8279-271-8
Italy/Renaissance – Art – Mantegna, Andrea
Andrea
Mantegna (1431-1506), the famous Renaissance painter, is presented in this
book as a tired old man who seems to look at the world without recognising it
any more. His memories inspire him to go on a last pilgrimage to beautiful
Padua, the town where he spent a happy youth. Wandering around the town, he
thinks back to the painting courses at school, to the Basilica di
Sant’Antonio da Padova, to his meeting with the painter Donatello, and last
but not least, to the famous Capella Ovetari. This rich and intense narration
is complemented by numerous illustrations that help young readers to get
acquainted with artworks of the Renaissance created not only by Mantegna
himself but also by Giovanni Bellini, Leonardo da Vinci, and Donatello. (12+)
129
Meo, Alba (adapt.)
Shakespeare, William (orig. text)
Guicciardini, Desideria (illus.)
La tempesta (The tempest)
Roma : Ed. Lapis, 2006. – [28] p.
(I lapislazzuli)
ISBN 88-7874-021-7
Island – Love – Magic
This
demanding adaptation of one of the most famous plays by Shakespeare proves
that classic literature still holds a strong fascination for adult and young
readers today. The story is about a wise king with magic powers who lives with
his daughter on a beautiful island populated by crowds of spirits and sprites.
»The tempest« touches all aspects of human nature, ranging from the desire
for revenge to forgiveness, from an attempt to employ evil powers to the
impotence of man to change events determined by fate, and to a kind of
supernatural justice that re-establishes order and values. All of these topics
span generations. The book displays a perfect balance between the text and the
dream-like illustrations. (7+)
Special Mention
130
Metalli, Alver
Lupo siberiano (Siberian wolf)
Milano : Salani, 2006. – 86 p.
ISBN 88-8451-577-7
Animal protection – Mistreatment – Selfishness
A
spoilt little girl asks her parents for a special »dog« as a birthday
present: a Siberian wolf that she saw in a documentary. Thanks to the help of
an importer, the »dog« is indeed shipped from Siberia to the girl’s home
in Brazil where temperatures often rise above 40°C and it is extremely humid.
The animal feels constantly tired, longs for its homeland, and dreams of
running through the snow. Nobody notices that the wolf is dying, not even its
little »mistress«. This story, which could well be true, is about people’s
irresponsible treatment of nature and the destruction of its delicate balance,
but most of all about the inability of parents to say »no« to their children.
This results in young children believing they are almighty and can handle
everything according to their own wishes. The story is both as powerful as a
parable and as unemotional as a factual report. (9+)
131
Morpurgo, Marina (text)
Sdralevich, Teresa (illus.)
Sofonisba strizzacervelli (Head-shrinker Sofonisba)
Milano : Feltrinelli, 2006. – 119 p.
(Il gatto nero; 109) (Feltrinelli kids )
ISBN 88-07-92109-X
Witch – Guardian angel – Common sense
Ruscufù,
a spry witch, has decided to employ her magic usefully by enabling every child
on earth to live in freedom and dignity. In this story, she pretends to be a
psychoanalyst accompanied by Pina Freud, a colleague of hers, and her faithful
assistant Angus, a guardian angel too good-hearted to face the evils of the
world alone. The funny bunch of weirdos, who solve problems through anything
but psychology, take on all kinds of difficult tasks. Once, they make a woman
who is obsessed with her daughter’s figure suffer from an insatiable hunger;
another time, they turn a spoilt child into a loving person by sending her to
a sort of holiday camp. This amusing tale makes readers think about the
importance of values such as simplicity and naturalness. (10+)
132
Nanetti, Angela
Gorgius <proper name>
San Dorligo della Valle : Ed. EL, 2006. – 189 p.
ISBN 88-477-1765-5
Evil – Friendship
One
weird summer, when yellow snowflakes are falling to the ground, a gang of
children find a fluorescent egg with a mushroom-shaped head. Gorgius is a
creature who is as small as he is dangerous. In fact, he is responsible for a
number of killings. During the course of their investigations of the crimes,
the children instinctively sense that his evil force can be lethal. This
thriller with an ironical touch once again confirms Angela Nanetti’s great
narrative talent. She creates an astonishingly broad scope of
very different stories that all share the themes of searching and initiation.
In this book, readers are asked to reflect on the nature of evil and how it
suddenly intrudes on people’s everyday life and irrevocably alters
everything. (10+)
133
Novelli, Luca
Edison : come inventare di tutto e di più (Edison : how to invent all sorts of things)
Trieste : Ed. Scienza, 2006. – 107 p.
(Lampi di genio)
ISBN 88-7307-309-3
Edison, Thomas Alva – Science – Inventions
In
this fictional biography, first-person narrator Thomas Alva Edison describes
his rich life as inventor and scientist. Tirelessly working on new inventions,
he was granted as many as 1039 patents, some of which have literally changed
the world. The witty comicbook-like illustrations in the margins offer a
humorous comment on the story and help readers grasp the meaning by creating a
second level that is just as important as the written text. In addition, small
notes scattered throughout
the book carefully and very effectively relate events of this historical
period. The cleverly arranged combination of illustrations and text makes
readers identify with the protagonist of this entertaining and gripping read.
(8+)
134
Quarello, Maurizio A. C. (text/illus.)
Stoppa, Alfredo (text)
Una bambina coraggiosa (A brave girl)
[Padova] : Bohem Press Italia,
2006. – [28] p.
(Un libro Bohem)
ISBN 88-88148-73-6
Fear – Growing-up – Self-esteem
Little
Anna is so scared of everything that she locks herself in at home and waits
impatiently for her mother’s return. Yet, when her mother doesn’t come,
the girl realises that she will have to leave the house and brave the world.
To get outside, she has to pass by the closet in which she always imagined
some kind of bogey to live. Next, she has to walk down the dark stairs of the
building, face a kids’ gang who make fun of her, and even hurry past a surly
old woman. Step by step, she plucks up her courage. As soon as one task is
completed, she decides that she can take on a bigger challenge. In the end,
she celebrates her newly found independence and freedom, symbolically
represented in the pictures by a pier and a wonderfully bright sea. (5+)
135
Sgardoli, Guido (text)
Mattioli, Francesco (illus.)
Il grande libro degli Sgnuk (The big Sgnuk-book)
Milano : Giunti Junior, 2006. – 217 p.
(Graffi)
ISBN 88-09-04188-7
Humour – Fantasy – Parallel world
Young
Yndig and his extravagant grandfather Sammenspit share the same fate: They are
oppressed by other people and not allowed to be themselves. In the
grandfather’s case, it is his grumpy and hypochondriac wife who always
quashes his desire for more independence and ignores his longing to travel. As
for Yndig, it is his parents and classmates who make his life miserable. They
make fun of him because of his obesity, his ugly glasses, and his speech
defect. Luckily enough, the misery of grandfather and grandson comes to an end
one day, thanks to the Sgnuk. These terrifying, invisible little men secretly
live in the grandfather’s house. With the help of an ancient, mysterious
book, Yndig is able to force the Sgnuk to help him and his grandfather fight
for their rights. (10+)
136
Zoboli, Giovanna (text)
Mulazzani, Simona (illus.)
Anselmo va a scuola (Anselmo goes to school)
Milano: Topipittori, 2006. – [28] p.
ISBN 88-89210-11-7
Friendship – Anxiety –
Starting school – Imagination
What will it be like to go to school, a real primary school? Of course this is something every young child worries about. Yet, the little creature who asks all these questions is not the boy himself who will actually have to venture out into the unknown world of school but his anxious toy rabbit, Anselmo. This touching picture book shows young readers what the child imagines to happen. With the help of his little stuffed friend, the boy manages to overcome his anxiety and fear of the unfamiliar, of not being at home, and of the new environment with which he is suddenly confronted. By supporting and comforting the tiny rabbit, the boy picks up his own courage and eventually feels ready to take this difficult step. (5+)