The educational objectives of the Children’s Literature Course include disciplinary study, accompanied by teaching strategies useful for fostering meaningful learning both in terms of scholastic motivation and affective and socio-relational profile. Furthermore, they include the study of the cognitive, affective and socio-relational aspects of learning to read literary texts for children, so that the teacher can analyze and manage these aspects, thus contributing to the overall education of the child, in a class atmosphere positive that promotes individual and social well-being.
In particular, the Children’s Literature promotes in the student:
- reflection on the role of reading texts and images in culture and contemporary society, based on a critical knowledge related to the evolution of contemporary publishing production, also with international openings;
- specific competence in welcoming children in kindergarten and guiding their training up to primary school, promoting and developing autonomy and awareness of symbolic thought and intellectual maturation by starting a dynamic relationship and creative with the book and narration;
- advanced preparation in the fundamental themes of educational sciences, with particular regard to the knowledge and skills of the psychological, pedagogical and social aspects relating to children and their development, from birth to adolescence, and related to learning and teaching in kindergarten and primary school;
- competence in teaching methods and teaching techniques characteristic of kindergarten, such as play, listening, reading aloud and practical experience;
- the historical-critical analysis of the fundamental nodes of the literature for western children, which favors an autonomy of judgment and an aptitude to search for new solutions and didactic proposals suitable for the various classes.
With the course of Children’s literature, students will be able to achieve the following educational goals:
In terms of knowledge and understanding:
- knowledge in the field of children's literature, with particular attention to the historical development of this discipline and the aspects of research and the interpretative criticism of literary text for children
- knowledge of the prospects and theoretical models of children’s literature
- knowledge of the main models of didactic design and evaluation methods of the child-narrative-book relationship.
- knowledge of IT tools and technologies for innovation-based teaching, in particular relating to the use of paper and digital texts
In terms of ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- ability to create an authentic educational relationship aimed at emotional-emotional, socio-cultural and cognitive maturation gained through a conscious use of pre-reading and reading in both primary and secondary schools;
- ability to design and realize training paths that use narrative and book with a variety of methodologies and organizational solutions appropriate to child development and learning progression;
- ability to take care of documentation, to monitor teaching and to devise instruments for verifying and evaluating student learning, taking due consideration of INVALSI trials and those resulting from the major international surveys on learning levels (IEA TIMSS and PIRLS).
In terms of autonomy of judgment:
- Attitudes to problematize situations and educational events, to analyze them deeply and to elaborate them in a reflective way, putting children in the condition of always elaborating a personal reading perspective;
- Aptitude to consider alternative solutions to problems and to make decisions that respond to the student's training needs, stimulating them, for example, from switching from verbal to graphic language when approaching narratives;
- Aptitude to renew didactic practices through openness to research, experimentation and innovation through the use of appropriately selected editorial products.
In terms of communicative abilities:
- ability to expose in an organized manner the objectives and the nature of the teaching activity through educational and educational planning, with particular reference to the use of illustrated stories;
- the ability to entertain positive relationships with pupils' families, showing openness and genuine interest in dialogue and adopting the humanistic-affective log of communication, with particular reference to families of pupils of different culture or religion;
- the ability to use digital communication tools in school contexts both to use teaching technology and to reduce the distance between formal languages of scholastic and informal languages.
In terms of lifelong learning:
- Aptitude to always extend their knowledge of editorial novelties in the field of literature for children and adolescents.
In particular, the Children’s Literature promotes in the student:
- reflection on the role of reading texts and images in culture and contemporary society, based on a critical knowledge related to the evolution of contemporary publishing production, also with international openings;
- specific competence in welcoming children in kindergarten and guiding their training up to primary school, promoting and developing autonomy and awareness of symbolic thought and intellectual maturation by starting a dynamic relationship and creative with the book and narration;
- advanced preparation in the fundamental themes of educational sciences, with particular regard to the knowledge and skills of the psychological, pedagogical and social aspects relating to children and their development, from birth to adolescence, and related to learning and teaching in kindergarten and primary school;
- competence in teaching methods and teaching techniques characteristic of kindergarten, such as play, listening, reading aloud and practical experience;
- the historical-critical analysis of the fundamental nodes of the literature for western children, which favors an autonomy of judgment and an aptitude to search for new solutions and didactic proposals suitable for the various classes.
With the course of Children’s literature, students will be able to achieve the following educational goals:
In terms of knowledge and understanding:
- knowledge in the field of children's literature, with particular attention to the historical development of this discipline and the aspects of research and the interpretative criticism of literary text for children
- knowledge of the prospects and theoretical models of children’s literature
- knowledge of the main models of didactic design and evaluation methods of the child-narrative-book relationship.
- knowledge of IT tools and technologies for innovation-based teaching, in particular relating to the use of paper and digital texts
In terms of ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- ability to create an authentic educational relationship aimed at emotional-emotional, socio-cultural and cognitive maturation gained through a conscious use of pre-reading and reading in both primary and secondary schools;
- ability to design and realize training paths that use narrative and book with a variety of methodologies and organizational solutions appropriate to child development and learning progression;
- ability to take care of documentation, to monitor teaching and to devise instruments for verifying and evaluating student learning, taking due consideration of INVALSI trials and those resulting from the major international surveys on learning levels (IEA TIMSS and PIRLS).
In terms of autonomy of judgment:
- Attitudes to problematize situations and educational events, to analyze them deeply and to elaborate them in a reflective way, putting children in the condition of always elaborating a personal reading perspective;
- Aptitude to consider alternative solutions to problems and to make decisions that respond to the student's training needs, stimulating them, for example, from switching from verbal to graphic language when approaching narratives;
- Aptitude to renew didactic practices through openness to research, experimentation and innovation through the use of appropriately selected editorial products.
In terms of communicative abilities:
- ability to expose in an organized manner the objectives and the nature of the teaching activity through educational and educational planning, with particular reference to the use of illustrated stories;
- the ability to entertain positive relationships with pupils' families, showing openness and genuine interest in dialogue and adopting the humanistic-affective log of communication, with particular reference to families of pupils of different culture or religion;
- the ability to use digital communication tools in school contexts both to use teaching technology and to reduce the distance between formal languages of scholastic and informal languages.
In terms of lifelong learning:
- Aptitude to always extend their knowledge of editorial novelties in the field of literature for children and adolescents.
Canali
teacher profile teaching materials
With the workshop in Children’s literature, students will be able to achieve the following educational goals:
In terms of knowledge and understanding:
- knowledge in the field of children's literature, with particular attention to the historical development of this discipline and the aspects of research and the interpretative criticism of literary text for children
- knowledge of the prospects and theoretical models of children’s literature
- knowledge of the main models of didactic design and evaluation methods of the child-narrative-book relationship.
- knowledge of IT tools and technologies for innovation-based teaching, in particular relating to the use of paper and digital texts
In terms of ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- ability to create an authentic educational relationship aimed at emotional-emotional, socio-cultural and cognitive maturation gained through a conscious use of pre-reading and reading in both primary and secondary schools;
- ability to design and realize training paths that use narrative and book with a variety of methodologies and organizational solutions appropriate to child development and learning progression;
- ability to take care of documentation, to monitor teaching and to devise instruments for verifying and evaluating student learning, taking due consideration of INVALSI trials and those resulting from the major international surveys on learning levels (IEA TIMSS and PIRLS).
In terms of autonomy of judgment:
- Attitudes to problematize situations and educational events, to analyze them deeply and to elaborate them in a reflective way, putting children in the condition of always elaborating a personal reading perspective;
- Aptitude to consider alternative solutions to problems and to make decisions that respond to the student's training needs, stimulating them, for example, from switching from verbal to graphic language when approaching narratives;
- Aptitude to renew didactic practices through openness to research, experimentation and innovation through the use of appropriately selected editorial products.
In terms of communicative abilities:
- ability to expose in an organized manner the objectives and the nature of the teaching activity through educational and educational planning, with particular reference to the use of illustrated stories;
- the ability to entertain positive relationships with pupils' families, showing openness and genuine interest in dialogue and adopting the humanistic-affective log of communication, with particular reference to families of pupils of different culture or religion;
- the ability to use digital communication tools in school contexts both to use teaching technology and to reduce the distance between formal languages of scholastic and informal languages.
In terms of lifelong learning:
- Aptitude to always extend their knowledge of editorial novelties in the field of literature for children and adolescents
Film transpositions of literary texts for children will be screened during the course, and writers, illustrators, critics, publishers, booksellers, educators, and teachers specializing in children's literature will be invited to lecture.
BARSOTTI S., CANTATORE L. (a cura di), Letteratura per l'infanzia. Temi, forme, simboli del contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma 2019.
BOERO P., DE LUCA C., La letteratura per l'infanzia, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2010.
Warner M., C'era una volta. Piccola storia della fiaba, Donzelli, Roma 2021.
Sono inoltre parte integrante del corso e costituiscono testo d'esame i libri da scegliere dal seguente elenco letture:
Albi illustrati (obbligatori):
• Leo Lionni, Piccolo blu e piccolo giallo¸ Babalibri
• Maurice Sendak, Nel paese dei mostri selvaggi, Adelphi
• Roberto Innocenti, Cappuccetto Rosso. Una fiaba moderna, La Margherita
Albi illustrati (quattro a scelta):
• Emanuela Bussolati, Tararì tararera, Carthusia
• Nicola Grossi, Orso buco, Minibombo
• Hervé Tullet, Il gioco della luce, Phaidon-L’Ippocampo
• Chiara Carminati, A fior di pelle, Lapis
• Antonella Abbatiello, Case così, Donzelli
• Pia Valentinis, Bruno Tognolini, Mammalingua. Ventuno filastrocche per neonati e per la voce delle mamme, Il Castoro
• Wolf Erlbruch, L'anatra la morte e il tulipano, Edizioni e/o
• Alessandro Sanna, Hai mai visto Mondrian?, Artebambini
• Lele Luzzati, Alì Babà e i quaranta ladroni, Interlinea
• Giovanna Zoboli, Mariachiara Di Giorgio, Professione coccodrillo, Topipittori
Un romanzo a scelta fra i seguenti:
• David Almond, Mina, Salani
• Anne Laure Bondoux, La vita come viene, San Paolo
• Aidan Chambers, Muoio dalla voglia di conoscerti, Rizzoli
• Roald Dahl, Il GGG, Salani
• Mark Haddon, Lo strano caso del cane ucciso a mezzanotte, Einaudi
• R.J. Palacio, Wonder, Giunti
• Bianca Pitzorno, L’incredibile storia di Lavinia, Einaudi Ragazzi
• Roberto Piumini, Mattia e il nonno, Einaudi Ragazzi
• Philip Pullman, La bussola d’oro, Salani
• Brian Selznick, La straordinaria invenzione di Hugo Cabret, Mondadori
• Guido Sgardoli, L’odissea di Argo, Einaudi
• Jarry Spinelli, Stargirl, Mondadori
• Bruno Tognolini, Il giardino dei musi eterni, Salani
Un classico a scelta fra i seguenti (sono ammesse solo edizioni integrali) oltre a Peter Pan di J. M. Barrie (obbligatorio perché affrontato a lezione):
• Collodi C., Le avventure di Pinocchio
• Carroll L., Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie
• Ferenc Molnár, I ragazzi della via Pál
• Johanna Spyri, Heidi
• Robert Louis Stevenson, L’isola del tesoro
• Mark Twain, Le avventure di Huckleberry Fin
• Vamba, Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca
Programme
The Children’s Literature laboratory allows the student to apply the knowledge acquired through the teaching of literature for children; to make theoretical-practical experiences of analysis, design and simulation of educational activities; and to develop a reflective, critical, dynamic, creative, participatory and collaborative attitude.With the workshop in Children’s literature, students will be able to achieve the following educational goals:
In terms of knowledge and understanding:
- knowledge in the field of children's literature, with particular attention to the historical development of this discipline and the aspects of research and the interpretative criticism of literary text for children
- knowledge of the prospects and theoretical models of children’s literature
- knowledge of the main models of didactic design and evaluation methods of the child-narrative-book relationship.
- knowledge of IT tools and technologies for innovation-based teaching, in particular relating to the use of paper and digital texts
In terms of ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- ability to create an authentic educational relationship aimed at emotional-emotional, socio-cultural and cognitive maturation gained through a conscious use of pre-reading and reading in both primary and secondary schools;
- ability to design and realize training paths that use narrative and book with a variety of methodologies and organizational solutions appropriate to child development and learning progression;
- ability to take care of documentation, to monitor teaching and to devise instruments for verifying and evaluating student learning, taking due consideration of INVALSI trials and those resulting from the major international surveys on learning levels (IEA TIMSS and PIRLS).
In terms of autonomy of judgment:
- Attitudes to problematize situations and educational events, to analyze them deeply and to elaborate them in a reflective way, putting children in the condition of always elaborating a personal reading perspective;
- Aptitude to consider alternative solutions to problems and to make decisions that respond to the student's training needs, stimulating them, for example, from switching from verbal to graphic language when approaching narratives;
- Aptitude to renew didactic practices through openness to research, experimentation and innovation through the use of appropriately selected editorial products.
In terms of communicative abilities:
- ability to expose in an organized manner the objectives and the nature of the teaching activity through educational and educational planning, with particular reference to the use of illustrated stories;
- the ability to entertain positive relationships with pupils' families, showing openness and genuine interest in dialogue and adopting the humanistic-affective log of communication, with particular reference to families of pupils of different culture or religion;
- the ability to use digital communication tools in school contexts both to use teaching technology and to reduce the distance between formal languages of scholastic and informal languages.
In terms of lifelong learning:
- Aptitude to always extend their knowledge of editorial novelties in the field of literature for children and adolescents
Film transpositions of literary texts for children will be screened during the course, and writers, illustrators, critics, publishers, booksellers, educators, and teachers specializing in children's literature will be invited to lecture.
Core Documentation
Terrusi M., Albi illustrati. Leggere, guardare, nominare il mondo nei libri per l'infanzia, Carocci, Roma 2012BARSOTTI S., CANTATORE L. (a cura di), Letteratura per l'infanzia. Temi, forme, simboli del contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma 2019.
BOERO P., DE LUCA C., La letteratura per l'infanzia, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2010.
Warner M., C'era una volta. Piccola storia della fiaba, Donzelli, Roma 2021.
Sono inoltre parte integrante del corso e costituiscono testo d'esame i libri da scegliere dal seguente elenco letture:
Albi illustrati (obbligatori):
• Leo Lionni, Piccolo blu e piccolo giallo¸ Babalibri
• Maurice Sendak, Nel paese dei mostri selvaggi, Adelphi
• Roberto Innocenti, Cappuccetto Rosso. Una fiaba moderna, La Margherita
Albi illustrati (quattro a scelta):
• Emanuela Bussolati, Tararì tararera, Carthusia
• Nicola Grossi, Orso buco, Minibombo
• Hervé Tullet, Il gioco della luce, Phaidon-L’Ippocampo
• Chiara Carminati, A fior di pelle, Lapis
• Antonella Abbatiello, Case così, Donzelli
• Pia Valentinis, Bruno Tognolini, Mammalingua. Ventuno filastrocche per neonati e per la voce delle mamme, Il Castoro
• Wolf Erlbruch, L'anatra la morte e il tulipano, Edizioni e/o
• Alessandro Sanna, Hai mai visto Mondrian?, Artebambini
• Lele Luzzati, Alì Babà e i quaranta ladroni, Interlinea
• Giovanna Zoboli, Mariachiara Di Giorgio, Professione coccodrillo, Topipittori
Un romanzo a scelta fra i seguenti:
• David Almond, Mina, Salani
• Anne Laure Bondoux, La vita come viene, San Paolo
• Aidan Chambers, Muoio dalla voglia di conoscerti, Rizzoli
• Roald Dahl, Il GGG, Salani
• Mark Haddon, Lo strano caso del cane ucciso a mezzanotte, Einaudi
• R.J. Palacio, Wonder, Giunti
• Bianca Pitzorno, L’incredibile storia di Lavinia, Einaudi Ragazzi
• Roberto Piumini, Mattia e il nonno, Einaudi Ragazzi
• Philip Pullman, La bussola d’oro, Salani
• Brian Selznick, La straordinaria invenzione di Hugo Cabret, Mondadori
• Guido Sgardoli, L’odissea di Argo, Einaudi
• Jarry Spinelli, Stargirl, Mondadori
• Bruno Tognolini, Il giardino dei musi eterni, Salani
Un classico a scelta fra i seguenti (sono ammesse solo edizioni integrali) oltre a Peter Pan di J. M. Barrie (obbligatorio perché affrontato a lezione):
• Collodi C., Le avventure di Pinocchio
• Carroll L., Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie
• Ferenc Molnár, I ragazzi della via Pál
• Johanna Spyri, Heidi
• Robert Louis Stevenson, L’isola del tesoro
• Mark Twain, Le avventure di Huckleberry Fin
• Vamba, Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca
Attendance
Free frequency, although recommendedType of evaluation
Students will be given a written test consisting of open-ended questions to be completed in two hours. The assessment methods will be explained in more detail during the course. teacher profile teaching materials
• Acone L., Barsotti S., Grandi W., "Da genti e paesi lontani. La fiaba nel tempo tra canone, metamorfosi e risonanze", Marcianum Press - Edizioni Studium,
Venezia, 2023.
• Barsotti S., Cantatore L. (a cura di), "Letteratura per l’infanzia: forme, temi e simboli del contemporaneo", Carocci, Roma, 2019.
• Pacelli S., "Figure della diversità. La rappresentazione della disabilità nella letteratura per l'infanzia dal Risorgimento a oggi", FrancoAngeli, Milano, 2025.
They are also part of the course and of the examination a number of readings of your choice (a classic, a contemporary novel, two picture books). The reading list will be announced and published on Formonline by the beginning of November.
Programme
The initial purpose of the course is to give the historical, theoretical, conceptual and methodological fundamental issues in literature for children. The course aims to analyze the concept of "children's literature" examining in depth its historical evolution and focusing on what are its features both classic and contemporary. The lectures will aim to clarify the many stereotypes on this literature, generally seen as "simple" whereas it is a complex discipline; the children's literature will also be analyzed for its ability to give back traces of childhood. During the course will be analyzed and discussed critically certain genres of literature and different kind of texts for children, in particular we will focus on the fairy tale and picture book as a peculiar textual form capable to facilitate a aesthetic education and visual literacy and to deal with so-called “difficult” themes.Core Documentation
Examination books:• Acone L., Barsotti S., Grandi W., "Da genti e paesi lontani. La fiaba nel tempo tra canone, metamorfosi e risonanze", Marcianum Press - Edizioni Studium,
Venezia, 2023.
• Barsotti S., Cantatore L. (a cura di), "Letteratura per l’infanzia: forme, temi e simboli del contemporaneo", Carocci, Roma, 2019.
• Pacelli S., "Figure della diversità. La rappresentazione della disabilità nella letteratura per l'infanzia dal Risorgimento a oggi", FrancoAngeli, Milano, 2025.
They are also part of the course and of the examination a number of readings of your choice (a classic, a contemporary novel, two picture books). The reading list will be announced and published on Formonline by the beginning of November.
Type of delivery of the course
Interchange of directive/lecture and active/explorative methods will be applied. In the event of an extension of the COVID-19 health emergency, all provisions regulating the way in which students are assessed will be implemented. In particular, the following arrangements will apply: oral examination in remote mode, on the Teams platform.Attendance
Class attendance is optional, but highly recommended.Type of evaluation
Written test (90'). The evaluation of the students consists of three open-ended questions. The exam verifies the descriptive and critical analysis of the theoretical, methodological and applied issues of literature for children. The students must show a proper language and clear and logical presentation, which should be complete but synthetic. The exam is expressed in thirtieths. In order to pass the exam that is with a minimum score of 18/30 the student must show a sufficient knowledge of all the addressed topics, with a proper use of the language. In order to achieve the maximum score of 30/30 cum laude, the student must show an excellent knowledge of all the dealt topics, characterized by a critical and coherent elaboration of the proposed topics.