Reading time: 3 minutes

Read and listen to Gianni Rodari's poem: The magical Christmas

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Summary

Carissimi amichetti miei, come state? Io sono molto contenta per i risultati che sto ottenendo a scuola; i professori e le professoresse sono molto bravi, attenti e disponibili, studiare per imparare cose nuove è bellissimo.

Riflettendo sull’attualità che ci circonda, guerre in primis, problemi economici, mancanza di materie prime, diciamo che anche per me che sono molto giovane risulta difficile gioire per l’arrivo del Natale. Mi capita spesso di dire con mamma e papà “se avessi una bacchetta magica”, “se potessi cancellare…”.

The poetry di questa sera, del grande Gianni Rodari, parla proprio di questo; un Natale magico, dove spariscono tutte le cose brutte, e compaiono solo cose belle. Magari fosse possibile!

Giovanni Francesco Rodari, known as Gianni[1] (pronounced Rodàri, /roˈdari/; Omegna, 23 October 1920 – Rome, 14 April 1980), was an Italian writer, pedagogist, journalist and poet. He is the only Italian writer to have won the Hans Christian Andersen Prize (1970). (read again)

Let's read together

Magical Christmas

If I were the Christmas wizard
I would make a Christmas tree grow
in every house, in every apartment
from the floor tiles,
but not the fake tree,
plastic, painted
which are now selling at Upim:
a real fir, a mountain pine,
with a little real wind
entangled in the branches,
that gives off the scent of resin
in all rooms,
and on the branches the magical fruits: gifts for everyone.
Then with my wand I would leave
to do magic
in all ways.

On National Street
I would grow a Christmas tree
load of dolls
of every quality,
who close their eyes
and they call dad,
they walk alone,
they dance rock an'roll
and they do somersaults.
Whoever wants them, gets them:
free, of course.

In Piazza San Cosimato
I make the tree grow
some chocolate;
in via del Tritone
the panettone tree
in viale Buozzi
the husband tree,
and off Santa Susanna
that of the husbandzzi with cream.

Shall we continue the walk?
The magic has just begun:
we have to choose the place
to the train tree:
Is Piazza Mazzini okay?
The one about airplanes
I do it in via dei Campani.
Each street will have a special tree
and Christmas Day
the children will do
the tour of Rome
to take what they want.
For every toy
plucked from its branch
another one will appear
of the same model
or even more beautiful.
For adults, however, there will be
perhaps in via Condotti
the tree of shoes and coats.
I would do all this if I were a magician.
But I'm not
what can I do?
I have nothing but good wishes to give:
I have many good wishes,
choose the ones you want,
take them all.

Let's listen together

Bedtime stories

Magical Christmas

00:00 / 3:53

Dite che è difficile? Beh, sognare un mondo migliore non costa nulla e magari, ci fa desiderare a tutti di realizzare il sogno! Gesù Bambino da quella culletta fredda ci aiuterà a riscaldare i cuori più duri.

Goodnight from Frances