After a long work of renewal of its catalog that has led to the inclusion of hundreds of new titles and new thematic sections, the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago announces the reopening to the public of its library, that will be accessible again for consultations and loans from March 21st.
The new collection includes, among others, a large section dedicated to Italian books for children and young readers. Families will be invited to preview this new section on Sunday, March 17 at 2:30pm, and to participate in a creative and reading workshop with Susanna Mattiangeli, author and winner of the Andersen 2018 prize, and Children’s Laureate 2022-24. Mattiangeli will present a reading of her book Uno come Antonio, illustrated by Mariachiara di Giorgio, and will involve children in an artistic workshop on the encounter between words and images.
Uno come Antonio was born from the observation of two real children and contains many recurring themes from Mattingeli’s work: identity, the relationship with others, words and their magical powers. How many roles do we have? The narrator asks. It turns out we’re a lot of people at the same time, or rather, we have a lot of roles, just because we are part of a community.
After reading the illustrated book, children will be invited to play with words and images, reflecting on the various roles they play: they will receive paper, pencils and a particular disc that will eventually enclose some of their multiple identities.
The initiative takes place in Italian language. After the workshop participants will be offered afternoon snacks.
Registration required. Please indicate the name of one adult plus the number of participating minors in the registration form.
Born in Rome in 1971, Susanna Mattiangeli is a writer, translator and comic book writer. She designs and conducts workshops for children collaborating with schools, libraries and book shops. Her books include: Come funziona la maestra (Il Castoro 2013); Gli Altri, (Topipittori, 2014); Avete Visto Anna? (Il Castoro 2017) ; I Numeri Felici (Vànvere Edizioni 2017, Premio Gigante delle Langhe, Premio Orbil, premio Bitritto); Uno come Antonio (Editrice il Castoro 2018); In Spiaggia (Topipittori 2018); Appunti, cose private, storie vere e inventate di MatitaHB, che sono io (Editrice il Castoro 2018); Al Mercato, (Topipittori, 2019); The Hideout, (Abrams books 2019) released in Italy as Il Posto Segreto (Lupoguido 2019, Premio Rodari 2019); Al Museo (Topipittori, 2020); Aldo&Rosa (Mondadori 2021); Case Rosse (Il Castoro 2023). In recent years she has been translating Beverly Cleary’s books for the publishing house Il Barbagianni. Since 2019 she has collaborated with the International magazine Kids. She is part of Piccoli Mastri. She has won the Andersen Prize 2018 as best writer. She was nominated Children’s Laureate for the 2022/24 biennium.
The title of Children’s Laureate was created in 1999 in the United Kingdom, where reading is historically supported and valued, and has spread since that first experience in various countries: Australia, New Zealand, United States, Sweden, Holland, Ireland, Italy. It is the role of an ambassador of children’s literature that testifies and promotes the value of books, reading and culture for children. The places of intervention are schools, libraries, aggregation centers, cultural institutions. Susanna Mattiangeli, nominated Children’s Laureate for the 2022/24 biennium, has given herself the task of contributing to spread access to quality literature with particular attention to education to reading in schools. For more information: Associazione Librerie Indipendenti Ragazzi
The event is presented on the occasion of the reopening of the library at the Italian Institute of Culture in Chicago, at the conclusion of a re-cataloging process that led to the inclusion of hundreds of new titles and new thematic sections. The library of the Istituto offers consultation and lending services to the public, with a catalog of almost 4000 titles including books and DVDs. The collection includes, among others, a large section dedicated to Italian fiction, specialized and thematic collections, and a section dedicated to children and young readers.
Reservation no longer available