3 awesome books for bambini about Venice
Are you one of those brave people, who have kids around you, when travelling? To engage small travellers is not easy, even hanging out in a homeland! However, there is always a little help. This time, I will take you to Libreria Studium, which is a Venetian bookstore, ca 2 minutes from Basilica Di San Marco.
You will notice it because its windows on the corner are filled with great books, outside are hanging out gondoliers and waiting for their turn to take people to fall in love in Venice´s canals. The extra bonus, and an important part of Libreria Studium, you can feel there the fragrance of books.
Usually, I find their good pieces for myself, their recommendations were never wrong. Also to note, that the staff is always very kind and helpful. I asked them, what are the recommended books about Venice for bambini and I have also selected some, that I liked.
Personally, I don´t have kids, but I have an experience with them, as I have provided custom- made workshops of handicrafts and fun activities. I also used to prepare hand-painted illustrated maps and activity sheets, so kids will have fun exploring certain location that they are visiting.
Through creativity, I had a chance to explain to them, where they are, where is what, where is the closest forest and responded to questions, on how many unicorns or dwarfs there are. I know, that for communication with children, and to make sure they are getting smarter, but also having fun and feel engaged, we need a number of facts and another amount of creativity.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
Let me tell you an interesting finding. After finishing one workshop on lino- printing with kids, we had some spare time and they were already in a very creative mood. We had nothing else to do before they would be picked up by parents. I found around one book of optical illusions and the book featuring various art- pieces transformed into abstract art. I managed to create a fun- activity, where the children had to tell me what all the can see in the image. Suddenly, they could not believe how many things there are when they use imagination and they focus on the image!
They were happily sharing with me their discoveries and it made them really proud of themselves. I also think it was because I made them feel safe and interested in their answers. (Though, please note, these were the kids 7 – 11 y - I would not try to guess optical illusions with a baby!).
Maybe you will think, that this is too old-school, to offer to kid a book. It is not. By being focused on a book, reading its letters, or reading its shapes, colours, having a conversation about it, the child is increasing not only his intelligence, but also the ability to analyze the facts, to research, and to build an important vocabulary of words and information. Sorry for the long sentence. But since you managed to read it, it means, that your focus is excellent. Therefore, we can jump to books.
Naturally, you can reach for them in Libreria Studium in Venice, or even before coming here, I am sure you might find some of them online.
1. Miroslav Sasek: This Is Venice
This beautiful book first time published in the 60s is still a must-have for everyone, who likes not only a good book for children but likes the original design and craftsmanship and aesthetic of books from the 60s. Nowadays, the style of these books starts to be fashionable again. This particular book comes also in a different version, explaining also different cities around the world – This is London, Paris, Hong Kong, Israel and many more. The New York book was also recommended in a series, featuring Fran Lebovitz( In Pretend it´s a city directed by Martin Scorsese). And Fran has a damn good book- taste.
When I recall illustration classes during university, this book and illustrator Sasek was often mentioned as an example of the art of illustration.
Pages are illustrated charmingly and colourfully, explaining different spots of Venice, also its people, crafts, simple jobs or funny daily situations. It is a truly pleasant way how to get in touch with a place. The quality of the book offers to increase the child´s imagination, learning how to „read“ shapes, people, recognizing situations in the city and its people, too.
Miroslav Sasek (in Czech Šašek – read ´shashek´) was born in 1916 in Prague. He studied architecture and his interest in drawing and painting was always present. After university, he managed to travel all around Europe and Noth Africa, and he was always a careful observer of the places, he got to visit. He was notable to say, that he wanted to paint the cities, as they were really like. He was widely recognized in the international scene, and of course, widely ignored by the Soviet block, later on. He found a home in France and later in Switzerland, where he died in 1980.
Until today, his books are still relevant and staying a precious „record“ of the beauty of the cities, he decided to illustrate. Strangely, in his homeland, he has been re-discovered and his talent recognized only in recent years.
2. Vivavenice - Paola Zoffoli, Paola Scibba, CuriosaMente.
The book has the undertitle „a guidebook for children and the young-at-heart. It is quite right! The book cover not only looks cute and playful, presenting the lion of Saint´Mark as a friendly figure on the gondola. Inside, you will find interesting information that children can read themselves, or you can read all together.
The pages are presenting various historical elements and spots of Venice, also with illustrated views into palaces and houses, which is especially interesting. While walking in Venice, or seeing Venetian facades, we can wonder, what is inside, or how it was to live here in the past.
This book is answering some of these questions and bringing useful information in a visually nice, and playful form. The book is written in easy-going English, therefore, it may serve also Italian bambini, that want to get in touch with English, as the information and words are also visualized.
3. First Sticker Book Venice, James Maclaine, Illustrated by Fermin Solis. Publisher: Usborne
If you are around children, that don´t read yet, maybe you are already familiar with sticker books. This one is presenting, natural elements of Venice in a great illustrated way. Bambino can not only look at the images but to interact with them. While looking at the shapes and colours, trying to fit into the right place for a sticker, a child can increase its analytics skills, yes, while having fun exploring Venice!
This book comes in a very bright, modern colour palette and the illustrations are just lovely. For somebody, it can look too simple, to inspire a child to stick into a book, right? However, it can teach the child, where creativity is, and where creativity is not required. For instance, it is great, when a child learns, that the place to be creative and to solve a „problem“ is this book, rather than to paint on the wall, or to paint with hands covered with chocolate.
Another factor, to be concentrated on these cute stickers means another minute for the child to be spent offline, without being interrupted, and simply enjoying discovering shapes, colours or the buildings and activities of the people in Venice.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”
In this case, already „reading“ the images and situation is building a database of the information for a child.
I believe that it is essential that we think about the education and fun way of education of future generations after us. Venice can be for kids a bit boring, but when knowing what is what and why is what there, it can be an enriching journey already since the early years.
For bambini that are coming to Venice, you can find this book in already mentioned Libreria Studium, but since it is a British publisher, this one is usually present also at the bookstores in the airports, bigger train stations like Milano, or Venice. I would also guess you may fight it easily online.
You can find Libreria Studium in Venice exactly here.
Texts, photos: Structures Of Venice 2021
References:
brainyquote.com/quotes/pablo_picasso_104106
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