Fratellino e Sorellina

Little Brother and Little Sister – Fairy Tale by the Brothers Grimm
Turned into Verse by Ambrogio Previtali
With 14 previously unpublished color plates by Diego Bonifaccio, created in the second half of the 1970s.

The fairy tale “Little Brother and Little Sister” by the Brothers Grimm has had many visual interpretations. Among the most famous, in a rebound of opposing poles, are those by Arthur Rackham and Ivan J. Bilibin. Here, the fairy tale takes the form of a ballad translated into rhyme and presented in a luxurious format with splendid and vibrant color plates that incorporate the teachings formulated by Vladimir J. Propp. These illustrations consider that while a fairy tale is a parable with a happy ending, suitable for lulling a child to sleep, it is nonetheless always rooted in cruel events and trials.

Thus, if we do not let ourselves be distracted by the sing-song nature of the story and do not stop to admire the colors, the golds, and silvers of the illustrations, we will discover that this tale recounts rites of passage and initiation, which everyone, without witches or cruel spells, has encountered during their own childhood.