Sunday, 18 January, at 3 p.m. at SIAL.school, 154-156 Holland Park Avenue, London W11 4UH
Book O’Clock with Gloria Danili presents Le regine litigiose by Marianna Balducci
IN ITALIAN
BOOK O’CLOCK is the book club for children aged 4 to 11 run by the Italian Cultural Institute in London. It began online in September 2021 on the ICI London channels and, since 2023, has continued in person in a refreshed format at SIAL.school.
As the new year begins, Gloria Danili – children’s and YA author, as well as the creator and host of BOOK O’CLOCK – welcomes you to a sparkling fourth edition!
Kicking off 2026 will be the brilliant picture book Le regine litigiose, written and illustrated by Marianna Balducci and published by Edizioni Clichy.
Our brave little Book O’Clockers, led by Gloria in the beautiful setting of the Italian School on Holland Park Avenue, will meet the most quarrelsome queens in history through the captivating photo-illustrations of the artist from Rimini, Marianna Balducci (who is joining our book club for the fourth time!).
They will discover the infamous queens of Torrechiara and Torrescura: from their deeds and battle cries, the children will unexpectedly learn the value of hope and cooperation and, as a final surprise, the value of peace.
As Marianna herself says: “The quarrelsome queens are now calm; they have extinguished pride and arrogance. In time they will kindle reason – for now, at least, hope is alight.”
After reading the book and listening to an audio message from the author-illustrator, the children will take part in a workshop inspired by Marianna’s photo-illustration technique. Following her instructions, the Book O’Clockers will create a proper artistic collage.
As always, don’t forget to set your watches: story time is about to strike again!
Book your place HERE
Marianna Balducci Illustrator and author from Rimini, with a degree in fashion. She works in children’s and YA publishing as well as on advertising projects. She often combines drawing and photography to guide her readers’ gaze in new directions. In 2018 her debut photo-illustrated book Il viaggio di Piedino (text by Elisa Mazzoli, Bacchilega Junior) won the Nati per Leggere award. In 2021 Io sono foglia (text by Angelo Mozzillo, Mondadori) won the prestigious Premio Andersen (0–6 years category and the Superpremio Andersen G. Schiaffino). Alongside illustration, she runs workshops and training courses in collaboration with universities, art academies, illustration schools, libraries and associations, for both professionals and aspiring illustrators. She also holds creative labs and performs her books at events for children and adults.
Gloria Danili Born in Monza in 1982 with an overflowing imagination. After a Master’s in creative writing at the Catholic University of Milan, she worked as a TV writer (DeaKids and Super!). She has published Tamara Tombé e la stella del teatro (Lapis Edizioni), the five-book Blanche series (Il Battello a Vapore/Piemme and Pocket Jeunesse), and La bizzarra società segreta di Mr Moore (Edizioni Corsare); her first picture book with Corsare will be published soon. Since 2021 she has curated and hosted Book O’Clock for the Italian Cultural Institute in London at SIAL.school. She is currently working with Roman Stefanski on her first theatre production in the United Kingdom.