Perché la mia mamma deve andare a lavorare tutti i giorni, invece di restare a casa come piacerebbe a me e ai miei fratellini?
(Why does my mom have to go to work every day instead of staying home as my little brothers and I would like?) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
A child asks a simple but important question: why does his mother have to go to work? Through a series of curious, funny, and clever answers, he discovers that mothers’ work is not just a necessity, but also a way to find independence and happiness. Working, sharing responsibilities, and respecting one another are natural and right things to do.
Edited by: Centro MeTRa - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Comment:
The text is taken from Rodari’s “Il libro dei perché” (1984) and is a clear defense of women’s vocation to work outside the home. Whatever it may be, it is important to allow mothers to participate in economic and social life, as opposed to staying at home with their children. It should be noted that staying at home is also presented as an activity. However, it is belittled by diminutive forms: ‘being a maid to you and your little brothers and sisters, polishing your shoes, washing your handkerchiefs, and so on and so forth’. Chiara Carrer’s illustrations in this 2022 edition add important details: some of the possible occupations of the mother, both at home where her children would like her to be (vacuuming, cooking, mopping, ironing, washing dishes and windows) and outside the home (working as a painter, driver or pilot, doctor in a hospital, teacher or lecturer). A lot of space is given to the graphic representation of the activities that children do independently while their mother is at work, to which Carrer adds preparing a meal while waiting for her to return.