Our Fears

A remarkable picture book that delicately addresses phobias, told in the eyes of a little girl and a pigeon, in the marvelling setting of Venice.

 

 

She lives in Venice, and so does he. One might think they are lucky, and yet... the little girl is terribly afraid of pigeons. But, in Venice, they are everywhere. And our pigeon... is terribly afraid of children. But, in Venice, children are everywhere!

 

One autumn evening, the little girl and the pigeon suddenly find themselves face to face in an alley, just a few meters apart. They are paralyzed but also surprised: the one opposite is trembling... could he be suffering from the same fear?

 

This book is cleverly constructed, with alternating narrators: first the little girl's point of view, then, on the next page, that of the pigeon. The two texts echo each other until the face-to-face encounter...

 

 

THE AUTHOR

 

Chiara Mezzalama is an Italian writer, translator and psychotherapist, living in Paris. She writes for both adults and children. Her picture book The Garden of Inside Outside, nominated for the Kate Greenaway medal 2021 and winner of the 2018 Prix Sorcières has been translated into 5 languages.  She is also the author of The Silk Dress, illustrated by Régis Lejonc.

 

 

THE ILLUSTRATOR

 

Mariachiara Di Giorgio is Italian. She studied illustration in Rome and then Paris. Her talent has been rewarded, two times exhibited at the Bologna Book Fair Illustrator's exhibition (2015 - 2016), two Prix Sorcières (France, 2018 - 2022), a Luigi Malerba award and the 2022 Andersen Prize (Italy) for the best silent book. She lives in Rome.