Cosa faremo da grandi? Prontuario di mestieri per bambine e bambini
(What will we be when we grow up? Handbook of jobs for girls and boys) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
“What will we be when we grow up?” Marta and Diego wonder while writing a school essay. And they start to imagine… A female train guard, a male dancer, a female conductor, a male illustrator, a female minister, a male painter… there are plenty of possibilities! In short, there are as many jobs as the pages of this book – all for men and women – and others to be imagined.
Edited by: Centro MeTRa - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Comment:
Promoted and sponsored by Unicef, this amusing and playful book, nicely illustrated by Lorenzo Terranera, is a sort of handbook of jobs beyond any social or gender stereotype and prejudice. Thus, if girls can dream to be mayors, ministers, orchestra conductors, boys can imagine to be dancers or illustrators, without forgetting other jobs which are important but seldom represented in children’s books, such as portiere (doorman) / portiera (goalkeeper), segretario della biblioteca (male librarian) / segretaria di un partito (female party secretary). While opening up a whole range of possibilities to children, overcoming usual clichés, this picture book also lists the jobs in the feminine and masculine form, thus putting into practice the recommendations of Alma Sabatini and, more recently, Cecilia Robustelli, supported also by the Accademia della Crusca, the prestigious Italian society of linguists and philologists. This has considerable value, given the resistance of institutions, media, and many speakers to a non-sexist use of the language. Settenove was created in 2013 and it is the first editorial project in Italy entirely dedicated to preventing discrimination and gender-based violence. It deals with these themes from different points of view and through all literary genres, with a focus on Italian and international fiction for children and young adults, which contributes to the development of a dimension free from stereotypes.