Telephone Tales

 

Every night, at 9 o'clock, wherever he is, Mr. Bianchi, an accountant who often travels for work, calls his daughter, and tells her a bedtime story. but since it's still the 20th century world of pay phones, each story has to be told in the time that a single coin will buy.  Reminiscent of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, Gianni Rodari's  Telephone Tales is composed of many stories within a story - in fact seventy stories, one for each phone call. 

Each is set in a different time and place, with unconventional characters, mixing reality and fantasy. One night, it's a carousel so loved by children that an old man finally sneaks on to discover why...and as he sails above the world he understands.  Or it's a land filled with butter men, roads paved with chocolate, a young shrimp who has the courage to do things in a different way than expected.

For some reason, books for middle age kiddos seldom have pictures.  Not so here.  This book is filled with full page drawings.  There are even fold out, double page drawings, flaps hiding secrets behind, and sweet postcards tucked between pages. 

A customer with a great love of Italy introduced this book to me.  Rodari is considered Italy's most important 20th century children's author.  If covid hibernation's getting you a little edgy, maybe a fanciful trip to Italy is in order.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay happy.

Only 8 more weeks until spring.  So very do-able!