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Posted by Silvana Tuccio

+27reviews of children's books from the Italian literary tradition

I reviewed 27 books from the Italian children's literary tradition for the volume 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up by Julia Eccleshare, preface by Quentin Blake.

Here are the 27 titles, listed with affilliate links:

Bertelli, Luigi
Adventures of Gian Burrasca, The (Il giornalino di Gian Burrasca)

Gandolfi, Silvana
Aldabra. Or the tortoise who loved Shakespeare (Aldabra. La tartaruga che amava Shakespeare)

Watch out for the cat (Occhio al gatto)

Buzzati, Dino
Bears’ Invasion of Sicily, The (La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia)


Croce, Giulio Cesare
Bertoldo, Bertoldino & Cacasenno (Bertoldo e Bertoldino (col Cacasenno di Adriano Banchieri)

Salgari, Emilio
Black Corsair, The (Il Corsaro Nero)

Queen of the Caribbean, The (La regina dei Caraibi)

Jolanda, The Daughter of the Black Corsair (Jolanda, la figlia del Corsaro Nero )

Tigers of Mompracem, The (Le tigri di Mompracem)

Mastrocola, Paola
Boat in the Forest, A  (Una barca nel bosco)

Carpi, Pinin
Cion Cion Blue (Cion Cion Blu)


Pitzorno, Bianca
Chlorophyll from the Blue Sky (Clorofilla dal cielo blu )

Listen to my Heart (Ascolta il mio cuore)

Milani, Mino
Knight Efrem, The (Efrem il cavaliere)

Gramsci, Antonio
Hedgehog Tree, The (L’albero del riccio)

Quarzo, Guido,
In Mr Thunder’s House  (Nella casa del signor tuono)

Costa, Nicoletta
Julian the Rabbit. A Year of Stories (Giulio coniglio. Storie per un anno )

Tognolini, Bruno
Jump into the Other World, A  (Salto nell’ultramondo )

Altan
Fly, Little Bird! (Vola, uccellino!)

Rodari, Gianni
Book of Little Onion, The (Il romanzo di Cipollino)

Telephone Tales (Favole al telefono) Illustrations by Bruno Munari

Roberto Piumini
Matthew and grandpa (Mattia e il nonno)

Traini, Agostino
Moka the Cow (La mucca Moka)

Levi, Lia
Just a girl (Una bambina e basta)

Guerra, Tonino
Stories from the Year One Thousand (Storie dell’anno Mille )


Anguissola, Giana
Shy Violet (Violetta la timida)
 
 
When I was commissioned to write entries for twenty-seven children's books from the Italian literary tradition, I learnt more than ever about Italian children's literature spanning 100 years. 
I delved into well known favourites, from Gianni Rodari to Emilio Salgari to Altan, to contemporary authors, such as Silvana Gandolfi. I also discovered the book Sussi and Biribissi, originally published in 1902, written by the nephew of none other than the author of Pinocchio, Collodi. (He signed his books "Nipote Collodi": nephew of Collodi). The story follows two friends, one thin and one fat, into the underground tunnels of the city of Florence.

Though the research was intense, I had as much fun as Rodari claimed to have had while writing the books that are still loved today. 

 Here's to children's literature.
Silvana
 

Here's another entry:
Bears’ Invasion of Sicily, The (La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia) by Dino Buzzati; Italian
Born 1906, Belluno; died 1972,  Milan
ill. Dino Buzzati
First published: Rizzoli, Milan, Italy, 1945
First published in English: Pantheon Books New York, USA, 1947
Translator: Frances Lobb
Age: 9+

The Bear’s Invasion of Sicily is a fantasy story. The fact that the story is set on the island of Sicily appears an arbitrary choice, perhaps in the imagination of the author, Sicily was a long way away and exotic. Dino Buzzati was born in the mountainous far north-east of Italy, in the city of Belluno, though he lived in Milan most of the year. The story displays all the traits of a superb fantasy: the mystery, the movement, the quiet organization, the landscape of grandiose proportions, the morals, the ideals, the battles, a family, a young bear called Tony, his father King Leander, challenges, failures, fears. The book is inhabited by fantastic creatures: a  troll, Marmoset the Cat, Salpetre, phantasms, De  Ambrosiis, the Old Man of the Mountain, and of course the Bears (Bear Salnitro, Bear Babbone, Bear Gelsomino, Bear Frangipane, Bear Smeriglio, Bear Teofilo). One exceptionally cold winter, the bears decide to come down from their mountain home. In doing so, they make contact with human beings. They soon discover the disagreeable behavior of humans. The Grand Duke who rules the lowlands declares himself enemy of the bears, and the magician De Ambrosiis attempts many tricks. Worst of all, King Leander discovers that his son Tony, who had been kidnapped many years before, is being held in a circus. A plan to free Tony is put into action by the bears and a bloody battle ensues. Tony is freed. Unfortunately, the bears gradually become attracted to human habits, like getting drunk, for example. Finally, on the advice of King Leander they decide to retreat back to the highest mountains, disdained with the way of humans. Buzzati has written a classic imbued with philosophical observations, and in which the natural landscape is presented as an inseparable part of the bears’ world. 

Other recommended works:
Barnabò delle montagne 1935
Il segreto del bosco vecchio 1935 
Il deserto dei Tartari 1940
I sette messaggeri 1942

Quote: “Go back to the mountains, said King Leander with a calm voice, leave this city, where you have found wealth but not peace in your heart. Take off those ridiculous clothes. Throw away the gold. Throw away the cannons, the rifles and other demonic things shown to you by the humans. Go back to what you were before.”



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