The Long Reach of Creativity: The Lasting Impact of 1970s Italian Children’s Literature

Abstract

Abstract: Between 1968 and 1980, Italy witnessed a dynamic transformation in children’s literature marked by innovative visual, aesthetic, and educational paradigms, involving a profound assimilation of social, cultural, and political dimensions into children’s literature. Children’s books became hubs of interdisciplinary experimentation in which young readers were to be critical cultural participants. These changes took the forms of playful storytelling, intertextuality, nonlinear narratives, and groundbreaking visual, graphic, and material elements. Pioneering technologies further enriched the sensory experience suffusing these books. This article examines the enduring impact of these transformations on Italian children’s literature, focusing particularly on early literacy. It explores four distinct categories of change: the emergence of radical series, innovative adaptations of folk tales, multisensory training grounds, and a trend toward visual narrative cards. These innovations revolutionized prereading education, emphasizing children’s agency and sensory engagement. In studying these shifts, this research underscores the legacy of early experiments in Italian children’s literature, initiatives that continue to shape contemporary children’s literature and education globally, exemplifying the profound impact of a revolutionary period in children’s publishing.