The Grammar of Fantasy: An Introduction to the Art of Inventing Stories

by Gianni Rodari, Matthew Forsythe (Illustrator), Jack Zipes (Translator)

Overview

From the father of modern Italian children’s literature, this is one of the great works about the imagination and how stories are made—featuring radiant illustrations from Matthew Forsythe and a refreshed translation from Jack Zipes.

"Holds great value for the adults who teach kids and the adults who write for them." —Mac Barnett, U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, for the New York Times

★ "A must-have for educators and librarians looking to inject creativity into their classrooms." —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW!

This handbook for writers of all ages and kinds is essential reading for teachers and creatives. It offers a playful, practical path to finding your own voice through the power of storytelling. Full of ideas, glosses on fairy tales, stories, and wide-ranging activities, this book changed how creative arts were taught in Italian schools.

Gianni Rodari is not only revered as a children’s author, but also remembered for his visionary pedagogy, and it is these two fields he combines in this revolutionary essay collection. Translated into English by acclaimed scholar of folklore and children’s literature Jack Zipes, and with original art from illustrator Matthew Forsythe, this edition of The Grammar of Fantasy is one to live with and return to for its humor, intelligence, and remarkable understanding of children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592703050
Publisher:	Enchanted Lion
Publication date:	05/13/2025
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Gianni Rodari is widely considered the father of modern Italian children’s literature. In 1960, he collaborated with the Education Cooperation Movement to develop exercises to encourage children’s creative and critical thinking abilities. The recipient of the prestigious Andersen Prize in recognition of his contribution to children’s literature, he was also one of Italy’s most important educators and an activist who understood the liberating power of the imagination. Jack Zipes is a renowned children’s historian and folklorist who has written, translated, and edited dozens of books on fairy tales (Breaking the Magic Spell, The Irresistible Fairy Tale, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm). He is professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota. Matthew Forsythe is the award-winning author-illustrator of picture books Pokko and the Drum, Mina, and the illustrator of The Golden Leaf. He was also lead designer on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time and production designer of the Oscar-nominated short film Robin Robin.

Editorial Reviews

The ultimate synthesis of Rodari’s exuberant knowledge, a book of both pedagogy and poetics, poetry for teachers and pedagogy for poets.”—Italo Calvino

"Holds great value for the adults who teach kids and the adults who write for them... The book is funny, freewheeling and angry, animated by Rodari’s fury at an educational system in which ‘imagination is still treated like a poor relation of attention and memory...’ He offers classroom games that puncture the barriers between academic disciplines... The Grammar of Fantasy is less a manual on how to write for kids than a treatise on why we must respect them as readers, written by an author whose life’s work was underpinned by an appreciation of the child’s ‘underlying seriousness, and the moral engagement that she brings to everything she does.’"—Mac Barnett, U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, The New York Times

STARRED REVIEW! ★ “This book is profoundly inspiring. It speaks about education in a way that acknowledges the writing process as nonlinear, winding, and deeply subjective. Rodari doesn’t just advocate for imaginative thinking in children; he invites educators to adopt this mindset as well, creating a ripple effect that fuels an entire learning environment with curiosity and play. VERDICT: A must-have for educators and librarians looking to inject creativity into their classrooms. Rodari provides a thoughtful, informed approach to how imagination and play can foster critical thinking.”—School Library Journal

"Rodari yearned for a way to unite his passions for philosophy, teaching, and justice. And so he started writing stories, songs, and poems for children, insisting over and over, in subtle and sensitive ways, on the human capacity for independent and imaginative thinking... A dazzling, deeply original book... only now available in English with enchanting illustrations by Matthew Forsythe."—Maria Popova, The Marginalian

"I'm having a hard time containing my excitement... It’s great for teachers and the classroom, but also for any artist or person who is looking to be more creative. Honestly, it would even be great in the self-help category, on how to unleash your own voice."—Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production (A School Library Journal blog)

"This is a spectacularly gorgeous book (as is everything from Enchanted Lion)."—Golden Hour Books (Indianapolis, IN)

"The Grammar of Fantasy is one of the most beautiful books we've seen in a while—and is a great addition to our writing section (sandwiched between philosophy, mythology, and belles-lettres)."—Annie Bloom's Books (Portland, OR)

From the Publisher

"I'm having a hard time containing my excitement... It’s great for teachers and the classroom, but also for any artist or person who is looking to be more creative. Honestly, it would even be great in the self-help category, on how to unleash your own voice."

A Fuse #8 Production (A School Library Journal blog) - Betsy Bird

"This is a spectacularly gorgeous book (as is everything from Enchanted Lion)."

IN) Golden Hour Books (Indianapolis

STARRED REVIEW! ★ “This book is profoundly inspiring. It speaks about education in a way that acknowledges the writing process as nonlinear, winding, and deeply subjective. Rodari doesn’t just advocate for imaginative thinking in children; he invites educators to adopt this mindset as well, creating a ripple effect that fuels an entire learning environment with curiosity and play. VERDICT: A must-have for educators and librarians looking to inject creativity into their classrooms. Rodari provides a thoughtful, informed approach to how imagination and play can foster critical thinking.

School Library Journal

The ultimate synthesis of Rodari’s exuberant knowledge, a book of both pedagogy and poetics, poetry for teachers and pedagogy for poets.

Italo Calvino

"Holds great value for the adults who teach kids and the adults who write for them... The book is funny, freewheeling and angry, animated by Rodari’s fury at an educational system in which ‘imagination is still treated like a poor relation of attention and memory...’ He offers classroom games that puncture the barriers between academic disciplines... The Grammar of Fantasy is less a manual on how to write for kids than a treatise on why we must respect them as readers, written by an author whose life’s work was underpinned by an appreciation of the child’s ‘underlying seriousness, and the moral engagement that she brings to everything she does.’"

The New York Times - Mac Barnett

"The Grammar of Fantasy is one of the most beautiful books we've seen in a while—and is a great addition to our writing section (sandwiched between philosophy, mythology, and belles-lettres)."

OR) Annie Bloom's Books (Portland

"Rodari yearned for a way to unite his passions for philosophy, teaching, and justice. And so he started writing stories, songs, and poems for children, insisting over and over, in subtle and sensitive ways, on the human capacity for independent and imaginative thinking... A dazzling, deeply original book... only now available in English with enchanting illustrations by Matthew Forsythe."

The Marginalian - Maria Popova