Salone Selection
From cultural dialogue at the India Art Fair in New Delhi to the launch of Salone Contract in dynamic Mumbai: a journey to strengthen relationships, knowledge and visions
5 children’s books to explore houses, lost objects, and architectural wonders
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Some children’s books go beyond wonderful illustrations and clearly deliver a strong message. The titles in this selection invite young readers to look at the world with the eyes of great architects, dream up incredible homes, find lost things. Why? To learn a truly meaningful skill: the ability to recognise the beauty around us, and to understand how to take care of it
Houses are a strong theme in picture books – just think of those in fairy tales! Or take the book Case (original title: Casas) by Maria José Ferrada and Pep Carrió (Topipittori, 2022) for example: born out of the words and images the writer and illustrator exchanged during the Covid pandemic, it showcases imaginary homes of all kinds and all shapes. There is one that fits in the palm of your hand, one that is made up of a single room, a hole-house, a House Man, an umbrella house, and more. “For better or for worse, home means routine”, Ferrada writes – and kids love routine.
Case by Maria José Ferrada, illustrated by Pep Carrió, Topipittori, 2022
Just like they love objects, and recognising them on the page. Objects that are often lost and end up who knows where, as in Tutte le cose perdute (original title: All the Lost Things) by Lukas Hartmann, a beautiful book published by Iperborea’s Miniborei imprint. In the story, Carl keeps losing his most beloved possessions, only to discover there is a magical place where all lost things can be found. Umbrellas, hats, toys: “there were toy cars, large pedal cars, tricycles, toy train cars, glass marbles. Plastic animals, rubber balls, leather footballs”. A place managed by a scarecrow and a broken mannequin, where you must leave something you have for every item you recover – and where Carl will lose almost everything, before finding what truly matters.
Tutte le cose perdute by Lukas Hartmann, illustrated by Tatjana Hauptmann, Iperborea, 2024
Speaking of special places, Tutti architetti (English title: Mini Architects) published by Babalibri is a real guide to architectural wonders waiting to be discovered around the world, from Antiquity to the present day. A catalogue of projects inspired by famous structures – pyramids and skyscrapers, parks and Zen oases, the Sagrada Família in Barcelona and the Opera House in Sydney – all of which can be built with easy-to-find materials.
Tutti architetti by Joséphine Seblon, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng, Babalibri, 2025
And what happens when it is great designers themselves that explain the world of architecture to children? Spectacular books are born, such as those Michele De Lucchi imagined for Corraini, penned by his conscience and alter ego Ukko De Ukki. L’Architetto (English title: Architect) – alongside two other titles, Idee in rima (Ideas in Rhyme) and Ma tu chi sei? (But Who Are You?) – invites reflection on the importance of building a better future, one brick at a time. “It's not just a matter of atmospheres, much less of cylinders and spheres, there is no doubt it is a question of education and we must look to the new generation”.
Ukko de Ukki. L'Architetto by Michele De Lucchi, Corraini , 2024
Last but not least, La piccola civetta di Natale (English title: Once Upon a Christmas Owl) – written by Daisy Bird and illustrated by Anna Pirolli for Fatatrac – tells the story of how the little owl’s home, a splendid centuries-old fir, was chosen to be the most beautiful Christmas tree in all of New York. That’s how the little owl found herself in a whole new environment, and needed to adapt to a place where “everything was bright and noisy! There were so many new things: some flashed and sparkled, others made sounds and clucks, and EVERYTHING was moving nonstop!” A story to experience, together, all the challenges that come with a transition from nature to a big city.
