La letteratura per l'infanzia nel secondo dopoguerra. Un ponte tra culture europee

The book intends to deepen the critical-interpretive debate on children’s literature between Italy and Europe from the post-war period to the 1980s. Thanks to a rich archival investigation carried out at the Internationale Jugendbibliothek in Munich, it was possible to revisit Jella Lepman's biography and her relations with the wider international scenario. Special attention is given to Italy, highlighting the new critical dynamism generated among academics, librarians, and lay people around children's literature, thanks also to the foundation of the first Italian IBBY section. The analysis of national and international journals (“Bookbird”, “Schedario”, “Il Minuzzolo”, “Specchio del libro per ragazzi” and “Il grillo parlante”) and the invaluable correspondence found in the Internationale Jugendbibliothek archives proved to be fundamental to establish the themes and problems of the debate on the discipline at the time. Rediscovering this historical-educational heritage at risk of dispersion can contribute to re-establishing a deeper reflection on children's literature within the cultural fabric of the second half of the 20th century, increasing the visibility of intellectuals (both men and women) who often worked in the shadows with a steady dedication to childhood, making themselves promoters of a change that aimed to democratically disseminate children's and young people's literature to carry forward what Jella Lepman had started: sharing books to make different people and cultures connect.