Workshop | Registration required.

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.