New Releases by Gianni Rodari

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

--- PARISTÒRIAS IN TELÈFONU cuntenent istòrias nàschidas dae s'iscontru ocasionaÌe de duas paràulas, istòrias cuncordadas a ricalcu, o postas a sa revessa, dae àteras istòrias, istòrias pro giogare, istòrias nàschidas dae faddinas de ortografia o de datilografia, imbentos caratzados dae ammentos, ammentos caratzados dae imbentos, contàssias, giogos verbales, ideas pro romanzos de fantasièntzia presentados comente paristòrias, ideas pro tiriteras no iscritas, diàlogos intre ditzos, contigheddos chi lassant intzertare sas leturas de psicanàlisi, o de etnografia, chi los ant pilisados. In sustàntzia, est unu libru chi babbos, mannois e maistros diant pòdere finas impreare comente unu manuale pro imbentare istòrias e impreare pro irrichire su diàlogu issoro cun sos piseddos. Su tìtulu chi acùrtziat a pare su mundu de sas paristòrias e su de sa tecnologia, podet bòlere nàrrere chi s'autore impreat mèdios modernos pro fàghere calicuna cosa de antigu, ma finas su contràriu. Su telèfonu est, in prus, unu "gioghitu" chi agradat meda a sos piseddos. E, como, sos telefoneddos mòbiles rapresentant unu mèdiu nou de relatzione ma finas de creatzione, cun testos, figuras, sonos, chi sighint e afòrtint s'imbentu rodarianu, chi lìberta sa fantasia. --- Gianni Rodari nàschidu in Omegna (Novara) in su 1920, a pustis de àere fatu a maistru elementare pro pagu tempus, at traballadu iscriende in l'Unità e in Paese Sera. Dae tando at cumintzadu a iscrìere pro sos pitzinnos, faghende finas programas pro sa RAI. Est istadu diretore de su Pioniere, pro pitzinnos, e de su Giornale dei genitori. At collaboradu a longu cun su Corriere dei Piccoli, in ue at publicadu finas sas istórias chi presentamus in custu libru. At iscritu libros medas, bortados in deghinas de limbas, e at otentu prèmios de importu, comente s'Andersen in su 1970. Rodari est mortu in Roma in su 1980.

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.

"Fruto del interés por la literatura infantil, en los años sesenta Gianni Rodari recorrió las escuelas italianas «a contar cuentos y a responder a las preguntas de los niños. Porque, de hecho, siempre hay un niño que pregunta ¿Cómo se inventan las historias?, y merece una respuesta sincera». A través del contacto directo con el alumnado, Rodari observa, conversa y toma apuntes, intentando descubrir los procedimientos del arte de crear historias. Esta actividad será la base de su obra teórica más importante, «Grammatica della fantasia» (1973), que tomó forma en un encuentro con docentes en el que Rodari participó en 1972, invitado por el Ayuntamiento de Reggio Emilia."--Page [4] of cover.

"A Marco acaban de regalarle un caballo balancín por su cumpleaños, en cuanto se monta en él, empieza a volar por el espacio hasta posarse en otro planeta. Nada más llegar, se da cuenta de que allí las cosas son muy distintas que en la tierra. ¡Y de que todavía lleva puesto su pijama rojo!"--P. [4] of cover.

A fable for children and adults: a story of life, death, and terrorism—in the grand tradition of Exupéry’s The Little Prince When we first meet 93-year-old millionaire Baron Lamberto, he has been diagnosed with 24 life-threatening ailments—one for each of the 24 banks he owns. But when he takes the advice of an Egyptian mystic and hires servants to chant his name over and over again, he seems to not only get better, but younger. Except then a terrorist group lays siege to his island villa, his team of bank managers has to be bussed in to help with the ransom negotiations, and a media spectacle breaks out . . . A hilarious and strangely moving tale that seems ripped from the headlines—although actually written during the time the Red Brigades were terrorizing Italy—Gianni Rodari’s Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto has become one of Italy’s most beloved fables. Never before translated into English, the novel is a reminder, as Rodari writes, that “there are things that only happen in fairytales.”

Los niños italianos, por Navidad, además de recibir la visita de Papá Noel, reciben la de la Befana, una bruja no demasiado mala, que deja regalos a todos los niños que han sido buenos y... los puedan pagar. Pero un año, los juguetes se rebelan y deciden poner justicia en tan injusto reparto. Un clásico de la literatura juvenil, una historia de aventuras para la educación en valores contada por la magnífica pluma del maestro Gianni Rodari.

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