14 thebooks for children and teenagers, tender, adventurous, dreamy and exciting. To read together, to give as a gift or to put in the Befana stocking.
It’s in our selection at the beginning of the year a tender and gentle bookto read to children before taking them to bed; a gentle ecological fable in rhyme; theand adventures of a gruff gnome in search of himself.
And then a selection of stories from all over the world, to find the right one every evening; the adventures of the baby spy Ettorino; that of little Sofi who fights to save everyone’s dreams; and a super grandmother ready to defeat the scariest monsters. Tommy, on the other hand, wants to save all the unfortunate heroes of classic children’s books.
And then we finally have the origins of Ulysses Moore; the fantastic stories of Lunigiana and Val di Magra; Daniel Lumera’s stories of forgiveness, kindness and compassion and also a book that helps the chronically disordered to “make order without becoming orderly”.
And finally, a beautiful tale about the coexistence between animals and humans in nature and a delicate book about the union of two once separated families.
Every year, when the first snow falls, a little girl takes paper, scissors and paints and builds the garland of thanks. On each piece of paper he writes one: thank you for the love and the dreams, the night and the day, the parents “who read me stories with kindness”, for the snow, the bread, the colors.
A tender and gentle book, to read to children before taking them to bed. The diorama illustrations by Samantha Cotterill are extraordinary, made of paper and recycled materials, an added value of a book that invites young and old to make the thank you garland. To remind us of the things that matter.
Thank you by Elaine Vickers, illustrations by Samantha Cotterill, The Beaver, 48 pages, €16
Woods by Christie Matheson
Illustrated by the author with splendid watercolors in soft colors, the book, in rhymesaccompanies the little ones to discover the magic of the forest, where animals and trees live in harmony. An ecological fairy tale with simple and barely whispered words it makes children understand how nature is everyone’s home, including humans. And how, as adults, it is their job to protect and take care of it.
Woods by Christie Matheson, Emme Edizioni, 44 pages, €14.50
The hard life of an unbearable gnome by Andrea Micalone
All gnomes are nice, tender, affectionate. Except one: the Gnome. Always grumpy, lazy, never careful to safeguard the forest like his companions, the Gnome is asked to leave his community. But entering the human world won’t be easy. He will have to endure many trials that will help him understand others and himself. A cheerful and instructive tale.
The hard life of an unbearable gnome by Andrea Micalone, Àncora, 96 pages, €12.83
A thousand years of stories to laugh at by AA.VV., illustrated by Fabiano Fiorin
Do you want to hear stories of dragons, thieves, sorcerers or princesses? This precious collection of funny stories from around the world is designed to help the adult reader propose the most suitable story: each is preceded by a short summary and a card with the recommended listening agereading time, place and main characters. Ultimately, a reasoned index is a further help. Everyone will then be able to add, change and adapt freely. What matters is the pleasure of telling.
An agent too secret by Angelo Mozzillo, illustrations by Davide Panizza
Ettorino he is 9 years old, and acts as an undercover secret agent. His missions are top secret, and he communicates in code. Until one day a package is delivered to him at home, which bears the words “first prize”. And even the dad gets curious. A spy story for children, to share and have fun together.
The dream spreaders. The Secret of the Dandelions by Susanna Isern, illustrations by Esther Gili
How could we live without dreaming? Impossible, we would be unhappy. And indeed little Sofiwho lives in the countryside, when he will come to discover by chance the dark plot of the Dreambreakers will try in every way to foil their terrible plansthe. It won’t be easy, but Sofi will be able to count on the help of a pair of magic glasses and a secret network of allies.
Crazy Grandma and the Monster Hunt by Moni Nillson, illustrations by Anna Fiske
Ever since he heard about monsters, Frasse has been terribly afraid. So terrible that she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to attend a sleepover with friends. What to do? Luckily he comes to school to pick him up his grandmother, the bravest person I know, enterprising, non-conformist. As soon as Frasse confides, Nonnamatta gets an idea: take him on an expedition into the woods to see if monsters really exist, and defeat them. Thus begins a wild adventure, full of twists and turns, very entertaining.
The defender-hero brothers by Alice Basso
Two brothers are in the library, in front of the bookshelf classics for kids: Tommy, 11 years old, hates them because they are full of misfortunes“orphans looking for their mother, poor children toiling on a farm or working as cabin boys on a ship.” They are books written by “monsters” who enjoy making the worst misfortunes happen to their heroes. He would like to save them, but how? The librarian will make a proposal that Tommy and his sister, the great reader Lisa, will not be able to refuse.
The defender brothers by Alice Basso, Garzanti, 320 pages, €16
Worlds at the End of the World by Ulysses Moore, The Steamboat
Twenty years after the first publication, the new chapter of the 10 million copy fantasy saga, translated into 30 languages, tells theand origins of Ulysses Moore: the boy is 11 years old, and doesn’t want to go to Eton, prefers to have fun with friends. His grandparents then send him to lessons with a mysterious professor, who knows some secrets of the Moore family and of a lost house, Villa Argo.
The worlds at the end of the world by Ulysses Moore, The Steamboat, 384 pages, €9.90
The last summer with flying saucers by Maurizio Maggiani
In his first book for children, Maggiani draws on the memories of his childhood, between Lunigiana and Val di Magra, and in particular those of the last summer before growing up. There are the fantastic stories they told him, in his country house, and the adventures experienced with the gang of friends, searching for aliens at night. «There are stories everywhere and you don’t even have to invent them. They are there, in life.”
The last summer with flying saucers by Maurizio Maggiani, Feltrinelli, 208 pages, €15
My heart is a garden. Stories of Kindness, Trust, Happiness and Gratitude by Daniel Lumera
“The child and the starfish”, “The father, the son and the phoenix”, “The deaf frog”: these are some of the fables collected in the book by Daniel Lumera, naturalist biologist and writer. Fairy tales, he claims, are good for everyone: in children they encourage attention and listening, in adults they help metabolise disappointments. But above all they foster empathy between generations. These stories are about forgiveness, kindness, compassion, and answer the need for imagination we all have. It also contains a guide to meditation.
The magical power of disorder by Einat Tsarfati, The Beaver
If you are part of that slice of humanity that when they put their hand in the bag they feel “like an illusionist when they put their hand in the top hat”, this book is for you, whether you are a teenager in age or just in spirit. With great irony, the Israeli illustrator helps the chronically disordered (to understand if you are, there is a hilarious test) to manage the enemy and to “create order without becoming tidy” (the bedroom is an exception). So as to reassure mothers.
The magical power of disorder by Einat Tsarfati, The Beaver, 224 pages, €18
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
Johannes is a dog who lives in a large park where he runs freely. The three elderly bison who govern it gave him the task of controlling it, and he became the Eyes of the park. His friends and assistants are the other animals, while humans are annoying, make noise and leave rubbish. Yet, the Balance resists. Until one day, Johannes discovers some strange signs near the construction site of a mysterious building under construction with strange rectangles. Is the peace of the park coming to an end? A fairy tale suitable for everyone about animals, friendship and freedom.
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, Feltrinelli, 256 pages, €16.15
The Light in Everything by Katya Balen
Zofia lives free in a cottage with a yellow door on the sea with her father. He feels happy, he swims to the rocks every day, he wouldn’t want to change anything. Tom is also happy with his mother, he has found his balance after a difficult past. But their parents fall in love, are about to have a child, and so they are forced to live together. They will have to find a new balance, in a new family. It won’t be easy, because Zofia and Tom have two opposite characters. From the award-winning author October, Octobera delicate and poetic book about growth and change.
The light in everything by Katya Balen, Einaudi Ragazzi, 304 pages, €14.90