On the 20th of January, as part of the “Book O’Clock” online book club, the Italian Cultural Institute in London will present ‘’Manuale d’incanto’’, a poetry book for children 6 to 11 written by Cristiano Sormani Valli and illustrated by Alessandra Di Consoli.
The book, which will be presented by the creator and curator of “Book O’Clock”, Gloria Danili, was born from the partnership between the writer and the illustrator who are bound by a profound friendship. For them, the lockdown period represented a creative pause: Alessandra imagined a host of stories and brought her imagination to life by reproducing them on a sheet of paper with her coloured pencils. Her drawings seem to whisper into Cristiano’s ear the rhymes that narrate the stories of the characters she illustrates. Every nursery rhyme tells a little story: there are ballerinas who design the universe through their dancing, thoughts that float like paper boats on sea waves, a whale that doubles as an island and a root-girl. We, acrobats of the world, are all in there. The perfect synchronism between words and images produces the magic of inducing us to dream, guiding us through an imaginary journey in a magical world. The book, which was produced in a period made difficult by the pandemic, represents a good omen for the New Year, a message of joy and hope, and gives us the cheerfulness of a good laugh. For more information, click here
