Il libro degli animali di Mario Rigoni Stern: un messaggio ecologıco rivolto ai ragazzi

Asiago-born writer Mario Rigoni Stern, whose centenary of birth was celebrated in 2021, always took a great interest in young people, as amply demonstrated by his numerous talks at schools, where he often addressed ecological problems afflicting the Earth. His Il libro degli animali (1992), a collection of children’s stories illustrated by Xavier de Maistre, characteristically engages with environmental themes by expressing respect for the animal world and admiration for its beauty. Similar to ecological literature for children, Rigoni Stern’s book aims to highlight environmental problems and suggest possible solutions to them. Given this, it is dedicated to inspiring young readers to adopt an alternative way of life, one based on respect for nature and responsible/sustainable practices. This effort is combined with promoting symbiosis with land, as communion with nature is the only viable solution to many of the contemporary ecological problems. Employing ecocritical theories, mostly those related to environmentalism, this paper explores the way in which Rigoni Stern presents his standpoint on and ideas of the natural world to the young reading public. His approach makes Il libro degli animali part of the most complex ecological discourse that he developed in his long literary career.