“It creatively combines an experience that may be common to many children (that of having a cat) with a fantastic element (the long neck). This neck turns out to be a path for the child to follow with his finger, a fun excuse that helps him playfully develop logical thinking and tactile skills…without realizing he is doing it!”
This is the motivation expressed by the jury of the“It’s Your Turn!” national illustrated tactile publishing contest, which chose to award the “Best Early Childhood Book (3-6)” prize, funded by the Robert Hollman Foundation, to Laura Burroni’s illustrated book “The Cat with the Long Neck.”
The color contrast, the use of different materials (felt, wool, corrugated cardboard, small pieces of synthetic fur…) to stimulate sensory sensitivities, but also the simplicity of the fun story written in black characters combined with Braille make the work effective and accessible to all children with visual impairment and beyond. Because the secret of tactile picture books is that they are truly for everyone, able to “tickle” the imagination of young and old, with or without a deficit.
The Robert Hollman Foundation once again confirmed the Very Early Childhood Award because it believes in the importance of books and putting them from the earliest years of life in the hands of even children with visual impairment so that they have the same opportunities for growth and development as all other children.
Laura Burroni’s book, along with all the other winning works of the tenth edition of “It’s Your Turn!”, was awarded in Bologna last Oct. 28 at an official ceremony within the splendid setting of Sala Borsa.
The organization of “It’s Your Turn!” and all the cultural events was taken care of by the National Federation of Pro Blind Institutions, the Robert Hollman Foundation and theFrancesco Cavazza Institute for the Blind of Bologna.
The event was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture – General Directorate for Education, Research and Cultural Institutions,Uici – Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Consulta tra Antiche Istituzioni Bolognesi, with the collaboration of Sed andSVP Worldwide Italy, and under the patronage of the Municipality of Bologna and Nati per leggere.
