Artribune's Christmas Book Recommendations for Children

Marco Enrico Giacomelli curates a selection of art and design books for children, published in 2018 by Italian houses. The list includes Tsukyoka Yoshitoshi's "Le cento lune" (Electa), a two-volume box set with facsimile prints and a critical essay by John Stevenson, recommended for its ability to fascinate young readers. Emiliano Ponzi's "La grande mappa della metropolitana di New York" (Fatatrac) tells the story of Massimo Vignelli's 1972 MTA map, now at MoMA. Agathe Demois and Vincent Godeau's "Borgo nascondino" (L'ippocampo) uses a red lens to reveal hidden scenes, and its app won the Ragazzi Digital Award at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Jean-Gabriel Nordmann's "Il lungo viaggio del pinguino verso la giungla" (Vague Edizioni), a French bestseller since 2001 with 130,000 copies sold, is translated by Gabriella Montanari with black-and-white illustrations by Lorenzo Balocco. Galia Bernstein's "Uno di voi" (Nomos) explores individuality through a kitten among big cats. Desmond Morris's "I gatti nell'arte" (Johan & Levi) surveys cats in art from prehistory to street art, with a cover by Saul Steinberg. Fabrizio Silei and Andrea Rivola adapt "Il piccolo Principe" (Fatatrac) into a puzzle game. Rosie Eve's "Domani farà bello" (L'ippocampo) addresses polar ice melting through a mother-child polar bear duo. Annamaria Soldera and Yvonne Campedel's "La vera storia dei 25 Babbi Natale" (Nomos) humorously recounts the selection of Santa Claus from 25 candidates.