Most Popular Books by Gianni Rodari

A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children''s Book of 2022 ★ Everyone knows how "Little Red Riding Hood" goes. But Grandpa keeps getting the story all wrong, with hilarious results! "Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Little Yellow Riding Hood—" "Not yellow! It''s Red Riding Hood!" So begins the story of a grandpa playfully recounting the well-known fairytale—or his version, at least—to his granddaughter. Try as she might to get him back on track, Grandpa keeps on adding things to the mix, both outlandish and mundane! The end result is an unpredictable tale that comes alive as it''s being told, born out of imaginative play and familial affection. This spirited picture book will surprise and delight from start to finish, while reminding readers that storytelling is not only a creative act of improvisation and interaction, but also a powerful pathway for connection and love. Telling Stories Wrong was written by Gianni Rodari, widely regarded as the father of modern Italian children''s literature. It exemplifies his great respect for the intelligence of children and the kind of work he did as an educator, developing numerous games and exercises for children to engage and think beyond the status quo, imagining what happens after the end of a familiar story, or what possibilities open up when a new ingredient is introduced. This book is illustrated with great affection by the illustrious artist Beatrice Alemagna (Child of Glass), who counts Gianni Rodari as one of her "spiritual fathers."

Factual as well as whimsical, and humorously illustrated, this is the first English-language publication of the answers given by one of Italy''s greatest and most beloved children''s authors to children''s questions about animals, nature, technology, and culture. Winner of the 2023 Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s English Translation Prize! Gianni Rodari is widely regarded as the father of modern Italian children''s literature. A firm believer in the great intelligence of children, he worked both as a teacher and a journalist. For a number of years, children across Italy sent their questions to his weekly newspaper column—questions Rodari answered, most inventively, with rhymes and little poems. Why didn''t he reply with facts alone? Because he wanted to provoke children into thinking about questions, norms, and language itself. The Book of Whys collects a selection of these questions—from "Why does an elephant have a trunk?" to "Why does a car need fuel?" to "Why are we born?"—along with Rodari''s answers, which beautifully serve to highlight the complexities, simplicities, and absurdities of our world. With a fresh translation from Antony Shugaar, who also translated Rodari''s Telephone Tales (the 2021 Batchelder Award winner), and playful illustrations in colored pencils from artist JooHee Yoon (Beastly Verse; The Tiger Who Would Be King, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2015; Inside Out and Upside Down), The Book of Whys is a playful, surprising, and poetically informative book for all those who are curious about the world and ready to play with the ways things are.

""44 bedtime stories".

From the father of modern Italian children’s literature, a guide to fairy tales and their potential for teaching creative storytelling to children—with radiant illustrations from Matthew Forsythe and a refreshed translation from Jack Zipes. “Holds great value for the adults who teach kids and the adults who write for them.“ —Mac Barnett, U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, for the New York Times “The ultimate synthesis of Rodari’s exuberant knowledge, a book of both pedagogy and poetics, poetry for teachers and pedagogy for poets.” —Italo Calvino A groundbreaking pedagogical work that is also a handbook for writers of all ages and kinds, The Grammar of Fantasy offers a playful, practical path to finding your own voice through the power of storytelling. Full of ideas, glosses on fairy tales, stories, and wide-ranging activities, this book changed how creative arts were taught in Italian schools. Gianni Rodari is not only revered as a children’s author, but also remembered for his visionary pedagogy, and it is these two fields he combines in this revolutionary essay collection. Translated into English by acclaimed scholar of folklore and children’s literature Jack Zipes, and with original art from illustrator Matthew Forsythe, this edition of The Grammar of Fantasy is one to live with and return to for its humor, intelligence, and remarkable understanding of children.

In this enchantingly whimsical, darkly comic tale from Gianni Rodari (Italy’s Roald Dahl), an unlikely hero—none other than a young onion!—takes up the fight against the tyrannical Prince Lemon, with wit and heart. Cipollino is young, brave, clever, and determined—exactly the kind of valiant hero that’s bound to triumph in fairy tales. Except, did we mention that he’s also a little onion? You read that right: In this fantastic book of high political drama—a classic of Italian children’s literature—all of the characters are fruits, vegetables, and animals. Here, Cipollino sets out to free his wrongfully imprisoned father. In the process, he faces off against scoundrels of all kinds. What hangs in the balance is nothing more or less than the freedom of an entire kingdom from the senseless rules imposed by the tyrannical Prince Lemon, and the equal dignity of each blueberry, string bean, and spider. Written in the atmosphere of hope and enthusiasm of post–World War II Italy, Cipollino and his friends don’t rely on weapons and violence in their battle against injustice, but rather on jokes and tricks, ingenuity and courage, heart and solidarity. With much laughter, luck, and pluck, they band together to bring fun, respect, and decency back to the land.

Una mañana de abril aparece en el cielo de una barriada romana un enorme objeto circular. "¡Los marcianos! ¡Los marcianos!", grita todo el vecindario saliendo de casas y tiendas y arremolinándose en la plaza. Dos profesores, los municipales, policías antidisturbios y el ejército hacen acto de presencia. Un par de niños, Paolo y Rita, se encargan de desvelar el secreto de ese platillo tan especial, que no es un disco volador de verdad, sino algo mucho más dulce...

This collection of questions and answers was inspired by two newspaper columns in which the writer responded to the diverse questions of his young readers. The words of Gianni Rodari explain clearly the meaning of the "whys" of this book and bring us into the literary workshop where rationality and imagination, science and poetry live.

Em Histórias para brincar, o premiadíssimo escritor italiano Gianni Rodari criou vinte narrativas muito curiosas. Cada uma traz três finais diferentes: o leitor é convidado a escolher o seu final preferido. Nas últimas páginas do livro, o autor comenta os desfechos, revelando aos leitores os segredos de seu laboratório de escritor.

Verdadeiro clássico publicado em diversos países, este livro é a obra-prima de um dos mais geniais escritores contemporâneos: Gianni Rodari. Jornalista, professor, poeta e militante da causa operária, Rodari dedicou boa parte da vida ao magistério e a outra a escrever livros infantis, sua grande paixão. Fruto de sua experiência como professor e de seu convívio com crianças de seu país, a Itália, e de outras regiões, Gramática da fantasia é um tesouro para pais e educadores que desejam ampliar a imaginação dos pequenos. Partindo de fábulas populares, brincadeiras, adivinhas e diversos outros recursos criativos, Rodari nos oferece um verdadeiro compêndio de estímulos à criatividade. Com humor refinado e linguagem simples, ele também critica duramente o modo como a escola e a sociedade impõem às crianças padrões rígidos e, muitas vezes, castradores.

In this collection of short prose and verse the author playfully examines some conundrums of life and living.

Quan un nen et pregunta: «Com s''inventen les històries?», es mereix una resposta honesta. Gramàtica de la fantasia és aquesta resposta, plantejada com una «Introducció a l''art d''inventar històries». I és que, per a l''escriptor, periodista i pedagog Gianni Rodari (1920-1980), els nens no han de ser només receptacles, sinó també productors de cultura. Trenta-cinc anys després de la seva primera edició, aquest llibre, esdevingut un clàssic de la literatura pedagògica, continua compartint amb el lector alguns dels trucs de la cuina de l''escriptor, que revelen la clau perquè mestres i pares ajudin els nens a construir les seves pròpies històries. A donar forma, mitjançant la paraula, al gran potencial creador de la fantasia infantil.

One child is portrayed as seven children from all parts of the world. Although each child is different they all laugh in the same language. The story unifies all the children in the end into one man and because of that they can no longer declare war against one another. Essentially, a story of peace.

Små fortællinger fortalt af en far, der altid er på forretningsrejse og derfor må telefonere til sin datter. Historierne er korte, fordi han selv skal betale telefonregningen.

The fairy tale by Italian writer Gianni Rodari about an onion-boy named Chipollino and his adventures.

Gianni Rodari estaba convencido de que "los errores no están en las palabras, sino en las cosas; hay que corregir los dictados, pero sobre todo hay que corregir el mundo"; de ahí nacen las historias y las rimas de este libro lleno de personajes divertidos y estrafalarios, y bastantes errores ortográficos y gramaticales. Pero que no cunda el pánico: para corregir los errores, el "maestro" Gianni usaba una valiosa gramática de la fantasía capaz de permitirnos a todos, a través de la sonrisa, el uso total de la palabra, "no para que todo el mundo sea artista, sino para que nadie sea esclavo" ¿Vale la pena que un niño aprenda llorando lo que puede aprender riendo? Si se juntaran todas las lágrimas vertidas en los cinco continentes por culpa de la ortografía, se obtendría una cascada que podría utilizarse para producir energía eléctrica. Claro que el coste de esta energía me parecería excesivo. Los errores son necesarios, útiles como el pan y a menudo también hermosos: un ejemplo es la torre de Pisa. Este libro está lleno de errores, y no son solo faltas de ortografía. Algunos son evidentes a simple vista, otros están escondidos en adivinanzas. Algunos están en verso, otros en prosa. No todos son errores infantiles, lo cual responde perfectamente a la realidad: el mundo sería maravilloso si solo se equivocaran los niños. Entre padres podemos decirlo, pero no está mal que también lo sepan los chiquillos.