Italy
131
Calě Davide (text)
Folě Luca (illus.)
L’ orso con la spada (The bear with the sword)
Reggio Emilia: Zoolibri, 2008. – [28] p.
ISBN 978-88-88254-43-2
Environmental awareness – Sense of responsibility – Bear
In this picture book, original both in text and in illustration, the big
brown bear, who thinks himself powerful and unconquerable, builds a
beautiful fort in order to protect himself from his enemies, assuming there
are such. Strong and wanton as he is, he derives pleasure in chopping down
an entire forest just to prove his strength. A little while later, the high
waters of the river flood his outpost, and he angrily starts to search for
the guilty party amongst the little inhabitants of the forest, until he
unavoidably discovers that he himself caused the catastrophe with his
imprudence.
(6+)
132
Franceschini, Paola (text/photogr.)
Con gli occhi di Miró (Through Miró’s eyes)
Bazzano (Bologna): Ed. Artebambini, 2008. – [64] p.
ISBN 978-88-89705-24-7
Miró, Joan – Art
This non-fictionxe "Sense of responsibility" picture book is dedicated to
the Spanish artist Joan Miró. In it, one practically breathes the
atmo-sphere of the works of the Barcelona-born artist – poetically abstract,
pervaded with fantastical visions and a dreamlike flavour. It is a
compelling travel chronicle about the cities that the artist visited in
search of sources of inspiration for his very personal language, in which
reality melds with dream, poetry with painting, and
colours with music. The vibrantly coloured illustrations with their
three-dimensional effect seem to flow in parallel with the imaginary world
of Miró and fill the eyes and spirit of the viewer with wonder.
(8+)
133
Giarratana, Sabrina (text)
Papini, Arianna (illus.)
Amica terra (Friend Earth)
Firenze: Fatatrac, 2008. – 44 p.
ISBN 978-88-82221-62-1
Ecology
This picture book contains twenty-one little odes (to the air, the water,
the clouds, the tree, the rocks, the snow, the sun, the rain, ...), which
praise the wonders of the world entrusted to us. The poems are meant to
convince children who are to preserve the world for future generations to
protect and to increase the valuable bounty of nature. The poetic, delicate,
atmospheric book is best suited to be read by children and adults together,
in order to talk about the natural phenomena and to learn to understand
them, in the hopes of still being able to reverse certain developments in
time. The illustrations are kept to various opaque colour schemes and
underline the importance of the topic. (5+)
134
Lavatelli, Anna (text)
Pintor, David (illus.)
La nonna in cielo
(Grandmother in heaven)
Roma: Ed. Lapis, 2008. – [28] p.
(I Lapislazzuli)
ISBN 978-88-7874-093-8
Fear – Death – Grandmother
Little Emma takes her parents’ statement that »grandmother is in heaven«
literally. And in her naiveté, she really goes out with her toy rabbit, full
of confidence, in order
to look into the spring clouds and spot grandma. And indeed – there she is
in the heavens, happy and composed, vigorous and busy like she is when
pursuing her favourite hobbies. So begins a lovely afternoon full of games
and laughter. This wonderful story will surely not bring back children’s
grandparents who »have gone to heaven«, but it nonetheless allows them to
know with a little imagina-tion that those they love are happy and close by.
David Pintor has furnished this imaginary being-together with peppy and
lively pictures.
(6+)
135
Masini, Beatrice (text)
Guicciardini, Desideria (illus.)
Amici per sempre (Friends forever)
San Dorligo della Valle (Trieste): Einaudi Ragazzi,
2008. – 88 p.
(Lo scaffale d’oro)
ISBN 978-88-7926-721-2
Friendship – Respect – Multiculturalism
This volume contains eleven stories dedicated to friend-ship. It reveals the
strong conviction of the author that it is necessary to support feelings of
friendship always and under all circumstances, because friendship possesses
the capacity to overcome distances and barriers, differences and
misunderstandings. This occurs for example in the story »Le treccine« (The
little braids), in which two
coloured girls become friends by wearing the same hair-style and draw in
their other classmates, or in the story »Hugo«, in which two parents who are
against pets are dumbstruck when they realize that their little daughter
Irene has become fast friends with an imaginary dog out of protest.
(7+)
136
Nanetti, Angela
Mistral <proper name>
Firenze [et al.] : Giunti, 2008. – 189 p.
ISBN 978-88-09-06157-6
Sea – Island – Love – Coming-of-age
This coming-of-age novel tells about the fate of Mistral. The passionate,
wild boy is like the wind whose name he shares, and like the sea, which
encircles the island on which he lives. It is a little and poor island, but
for Mistral it represents a kingdom, indeed, the entire world. How-ever, one
day, Cloe arrives, the daughter of rich musicians who visit the island with
their boat every summer. Through Cloe, who is so different from himself,
Mistral begins to see the island with other eyes, as he now knows that
something else exists on the other side of the sea
that encloses him. And thus he begins to know life and love and to explore
both.
(13+)
137
Scuderi, Lucia (text/illus.)
Buonanotte Isabella! Una storia (Good night Isabella! A story)
[Trieste]: Bohem Press, 2008. – [28] p.
ISBN 978-88-95818-02-3
(German parallel ed.: Gute Nacht Isabella!
Zürich: Bohem Press)
Fantasy – Dream – Fear – Falling asleep
Little Isabella is waiting to fall asleep. Half-asleep, she imagines
grabbing onto the thread that she thinks is hang-ing from the ceiling. The
thread becomes ever longer, it multiplies and tangles and then begins to
take on human forms. In this way, a playmate is created who moves with her
and is a lot of fun. Sometimes he forms a teeter-totter, sometimes a hula
hoop, or he lets her balance, until Isabella, finally tired, is overcome by
sleep. This is a fine, profound picture book that inspires the imagination
of young children – the imagination that they need to master difficult
moments over the course of their days. (4+)
138
Tessaro, Gek (text/illus.)
Il circo delle nuvole (The cloud circus)
Roma: Fanucci, 2007. – [56] p.
(Kids)
ISBN 978-88-347-1356-3
Circus – Desire – Tolerance – Solidarity – Poetry
Giuliano, a very rich man, wants to buy everything, even the sky. In the Sky
Circus, the clouds take on the appear-ance of fantastical persons,
personified archetypes of
human existence with their weaknesses and mistakes, but also their positive
values. One can, for instance, discover acrobats who save one another by
reaching out their hands over the abyss, or a strong man who not only lifts
weights, but also the moods of forlorn feeling people. It is a wonderful
circus full of dreams and hopes, which can not only belong to Giuliano
however. Indeed, a sudden rain begins to muddle and destroy all the
appearances. The text of this book is rhymed throughout. The poems are
accompanied by colourful, humorous illustrations.
(6+)
139
Tognolini, Bruno (text)
Abbatiello, Antonella (illus.)
Tiritere (Twitter)
Modena: Panini, 2008. – [32] p.
(03 Zero tre)
ISBN 978-88-248-0375-5
Hearing – Self-awareness – Nursery rhyme
This cardboard book contains nursery rhymes that
accompany the growing infant, encourage growing aware-ness of the people and
little things in its immediate surroundings, and eventually, lead to the
perception of its own body and further surroundings. This title is part of a
new series initiated by the publishing house, which aims to systematically
get parents to read to their children from a very young age on. Looking,
turning pages, touching, playing with books, listening to words and sounds:
these are indeed indelible emotional moments and necessary assumptions for
the growth and the development of the intellect. In a very special way, this
endearing and colourful illustrated book attempts to revive the dying
tradition of passing on folk verse, here in the form of nursery rhymes. (2+)
140
Tomatis, Marco (text)
Ghigliano, Cinzia (illus.)
Il formaggio. Una storia vera, anzi due (The cheese. A story, in fact two)
Bra (Cn): Slow Food Ed., 2008. – 71 p.
(Per mangiare meglio)
ISBN 978-88-8499-171-3
Food production – Cheese manufacture
The true story of a family of livestock farmers and cheese producers in the
Italian province Pistoia is the point of departure to talk about cheese.
This important high-quality food, so richly represented in Italian
gastronomy, features an impressive range of forms, places of origin, and
taste profiles. This book lays out the production of cheese from its start
to its finish as a food product. In this way, it is a valuable, informative
tool for children today, who often no longer know the origin of many foods,
as they are only familiar with the packaged goods on the shelves of
groceries. Beyond merely transmitting knowledge, the book also gives
suggestions and instructions for a
true gustatory education.
(8+)
141
Tomaz, Lucio (text)
Cavandoli, Osvaldo (illus.)
Linea bestiale (Animal line)
Roma: Gallucci, 2008. – [24] p. + 1 DVD
ISBN 978-88-6145-069-1
Animals – Line – Mood – Feeling
This volume pays homage to one of the greatest and most brilliant inventors
of Italian cartoons, Osvaldo Cavandoli, who passed away recently, and
celebrates his most famous character, »La Linea« (»The Line«). The picture
book, which comes with a DVD that contains the original films, ironically
and delicately shows graphic art inspired by the encounter between the
»Line« and various animals: from a kangaroo to cows, from a brown bear that
chases The Line, to a puppy that always licks it. The basic patterns of
human existence as shown here will fascinate readers big and small. The
whole palette of feelings, which can change from one moment to the next, are
on display here. The Line is grumpy and angry, rapt and smiling, jeering, at
times spunky, and always in danger of getting into a jam.
(5+)
142
Vaselli, Ferdinando (text)
Casavola, Valentina Gaia (ed.)
Dido (illus.)
Soprailcielodisanbasilio (OvertheskyofSanBasilio)
Roma: Sinnos Ed., 2008. – 78 p.
(Segni) (Zonafranca )
ISBN 978-88-7609-132-2
City – Multiculturalism – xDiversity – Integration – Friendship
This story, written in an unadorned, neorealist style, offers a witty, colourful and very direct cross-section view of problems in the Roman suburb San Basilio arising from the close proximity of countless nationalities to one another. The story centres on a school class, Grade III A, which is a microcosm of the suburb’s very diverse nation-alities and cultures: Albanian, Croatian, Philippino, Chinese, Roma, and naturally, Italian. Living together is not easy, it is full of rough spots and contrasts, and at the same time it is permeated with spontaneity and mutual understanding. The willingness to really accept another person, demonstrated better with concrete actions than with words, is illustrated by a soccer game, for instance. What is essential is the willingness of every single person to help another, so that the team is successful. (10+) u