May – August 2024
all the news from sabìr editore
Dear Colleagues,
With many of you we had the pleasure of meeting at BCBF in April and we are delighted at how much you enjoyed our books. We have added several new ones in recent months and look forward to sharing them with you. For any information or curiosity, we are at your disposal.
Picture books: The Shadow island
archipelago
A mix of rhymes and storytelling, photoillustration and illustration from the creativity of Andrea M. Alesci and Marianna Balducci
There are islands that live in a cone of shadow (but also in a cup, if you like ice cream!), and they float in all the worlds we can imagine. Sometimes these islands are neither land nor surrounded by water, in fact sometimes… they are not discernible at all! That’s right: invisible. Mind you, in here there are also islands that we can find on the world map, but the story they tell is either out of time like a broken metronome or is a springboard to Elsewhere.
Picture books:
The fire cannot be ruled
A sweet and witty story that tells us how,
even though people are as different as fire and water,
they can get along very well
Who has never dreamed of being a firefighter? Otto, who prefers sensational fire-eaters. Lilia, on the other hand, thinks the opposite and dreams of being a firefighter to save people and animals in danger. Raised with two diametrically opposed views, Otto and Lilia seem destined not to get along like water and fire, but instead… a small incident prompts them to get to know each other and discover each other’s passions. The result is a feeling destined to last. Because, as the saying goes, the heart…er…the fire cannot be ruled!
Picture books: Sometimes i am…
A non-fiction picture book to talk about how we relate to our universe, from boundless galaxies to the spaces between atoms, without forgetting those who live next to us
Are we big or are we small? It depends. Sometimes one, sometimes the other. If we think of the Universe we are tiny, but if we look at an ant then we are big! If we then compare ourselves with other people we can be… equal! A journey from the infinitely large to the infinitely small, which ultimately shows us how everything is relative to the context in which we are and how in the end being big or being small in the world matters little: it matters who we are, what we do, and how we live in relation to others.
Picture Books: The Rhinotypter
A hilarious story to talk to young children about friendship,
beyond appearances and differences
The Rhinotypter is a rather atypical animal. It is not easy to meet because it is very shy. It certainly does not excel in strength, beauty, agility or courage. Its roar then, we do not speak of. But the Rhynotypter, despite being a bit of a landslide, has something that makes it a unique and very special animal indeed.
Novels: The island of the animals
Is it a novel that also contains a comic book or is it a comic book that also contains a novel? Malusa Kosgran, the author, uses both art forms for an exciting story perfect for children ages 11 and up
Arturo Pace is 14 years old, an only child, rather introverted and counting. Everything. The steps, the stars, the trees, his footsteps. Arturo is the author of a comic strip he titled “The Island of Animals,” in which he tells what happens to him, and to his family, to the inhabitants of the small island on which he lives, and to Stella Errera, the light and cheerful girl like a little bird who he would love to become his friend. On the island drawn by Arturo he is Bianco, a polar bear, Stella is an Arctic tern, Mr. and Mrs. Pace a grizzly and a tiger, and every royal islander is an animal. Everything runs smoothly until the night of shooting stars when Arthur and White make the same wish, and that wish takes form. On both islands.
Special Projects:
The 100 children sticker album
From the wild imagination of Marianna Balducci, Andersen Prize and Andersen Super Prize 2022, one of our most ambitious and crazy projects, in honor of Gianni Rodari
100children is a project that Marianna Balducci has undertaken to remember Gianni Rodari in his centennial year. Through a call on social media, Marianna asked members of her community a photo of themselves from when they were children and the opportunity to use it with no strings attached. 100 photos were collected: friends, strangers, family members, colleagues designers and authors, ready to play with her. The 100 photos became photo-illustrations and stories, which of truth retain only the names of the children. After a limited, numbered and autographed first edition in postcard format, the 100 children’s collection is back available in an unprecedented and original: the stickers album.
Nonfiction:
CREATIVOLOGY
Boškov, lizards, nipples, xanax and the fascinating case of picture books
Sergio Olivotti, author, illustrator, designer, and architect, takes us on a fascinating journey into the world of design with an essay intended for professionals, curious and enthusiasts
If we ask ten different designers how they work and where they look for ideas, we will get ten different answers. An honest, non-ideologized essay on design and creativity cannot therefore only include copious questions with often non-unique answers. So where do ideas come from? Is there a design method? The assumption that design follows a linear and deterministic process is here questioned. doubt. The book points to an ethical approach to design and suggests heterogeneous answers. In a humorous and informative tone, Olivotti offers reflections, hypotheses and solutions to the atavistic question of design, with a particular focus on the design of the illustrated book for childhood.
Special Projects:
Thread of shadow
A book, small and dense, for young and old, that
investigates the mystery of shadow through the dialogue
between photography and poetry.
Each double page is an indissoluble interweaving of glances and words, where the authors have given a common body to the shadow and its many meanings. There are four threads that make up the plot and they have to do with the passing of time and with the way we interpret it:
thread 1- Shadows at play is the time of childhood;
thread 2- Shadows on the Way is the time of adolescence and youth;
thread 3 – Hearts of Shadows is the time of maturity, where the deepest affections are consolidated;
thread 4 – Shadows of Shadows is the time of meditation and reflection on life and what it represents.
would you like to know more?
Check our complete rights catalogue here. It’s updated with releases until the end of 2024
News from Sabìr
The little men of words, written by Fabrizio Silei and illustrated by Sergio Olivotti, has been selected in the long list of the Strega girls and boys prize in the 8+ category and qualified 2nd in the Arpino prize.
Sabìr around the world
Since the last newsletter, several Sabìr titles have found a home. Below are the titles purchased abroad in recent months.
Jungle as usual in Brazil and Türkiye.
Sometimes I’m… in Brazil.
The Shadow Islands archipelago in Brazil.
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