Marameo publishing house

Marameo is the first Ticino publisher specialising in children's literature. It was set up to promote picture books for the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland that are popular in Switzerland but have been overlooked by Italian publishers.

Marameo! The word is an interjection of a mockery, yet playful and light, like such of a child. A marameo with which - drawing on a good dose of recklessness and defying any business plan - the courageous bookseller, Francesca Martella, appeared on the publishing scene, giving life to the first publishing house of literature for young people. 

It took courage because if the other linguistic regions of Switzerland can count on a wider audience potential, and therefore boast publishing houses and long-running catalogs, the inhabitants of Italian-speaking Switzerland are very few compared to the public of Italy, a nation that also counts numerous highly successful and extremely competitive publishing houses for children. 

Yet Marameo in little more than a year of launching has already made itself noticed inside and outside of our borders, thanks to both an editorial line conducted with a decisive attitude, relying on the names of prestigious authors and illustrators, and by winning the precious international “ProLitteris” award.

In times of lockdown, why not read the alphabet in 26 nursery rhymes by Roberto Piumini with illustrations by Paloma Canonica to your children? 

Or download some free samples here: https://marameoedizioni.com/download-gratuiti.

A come... Grande alfabeto illustrato

World Book Day

23 April is a symbolic date for world literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died.

It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. With this in mind, UNESCO created the World Book and Copyright Day.

Through reading we can open ourselves to others despite distance and self-confinement. We can travel thanks to imagination. From April 1st to 23rd, UNESCO is sharing quotes, poems and messages to symbolize the power of books and encourage reading as much as possible.

More than ever, at a time where most of the schools around the world are closed and people are having to limit their time spent outside, the power of books should be leveraged to combat isolation, reinforce ties between people, expand our horizons, while stimulating our minds and creativity. 

Click here to read a story that was created by over 1,700 children, parents, caregivers and teachers from around the world who took the time to share how they were coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. My Hero is You: https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/system/files/2020-04/My%20Hero%20is%20You%2C%20Storybook%20for%20Children%20on%20COVID-19.pdf

Notte del racconto at the LAC

For almost thirty years La notte del racconto (night of the storytelling) takes place on the second Friday of November simultaneously throughout Switzerland.

When the days begin to get shorter and the evenings get longer, schools, classrooms, libraries, bookstores and any other place dedicated to reading are transformed into magical places where children, teenagers and adults read, listen and tell stories.

This year the theme - of which the literature is full of narrative cues - is linked to the rights of the child and bears the title: "We also have rights!". It is a way to remind children and adults that all the children of the world have the same rights and that these must be respected and defended.

Ask your local school or library for the programme or head to the LAC where Christine Schneider and Hervé Pinel will be reading "In punta di piedi".

Venue: Notte del Racconto
Where: LAC, Sala refettorio, Piazza Bernardino Luini 6, 6900 Lugano
Date: Friday, November 8th, 2019
Time: 20:00
The event is free of charge and suitable for accompanied children from 3-6 years.
Sign up here: http://www.edu.luganolac.ch/it

Betty Bossi, a Swiss hero

How could I resist sharing this video... it gives you a glimpse into Swiss cuisine with an International twist and a Swiss sense of humour. If you are Swiss, you'd probably agree that Betty Bossi has come a long way...

Betty Bossi is Switzerland's biggest cookbook publisher and can be found in most every household.

Hardly anyone knows her outside the Confederation, but generations of Swiss have grown up with her. Inventor of the fictitious character Betty Bossi is the Zurich advertising specialist Emmi Creola, born as Emmi Maag in 1912.

Taking inspiration from Betty Crocker, Betty Bossi was created by Emmi Creola-Maag for Unilever to help sell margarine to the butter-friendly Swiss. This took form in 1956 as a magazine style leaflet called the Betty Bossi Post, which attempted to answer the eternal question "What Shall I Cook Today?". French on one side and German on the other, the leaflet was so popular that it grew into a full magazine, and then a recipe book.

In 1977 Betty Bossi split from Unilever and it became its own, separate publishing company. The brand continued to expand, publishing countless cookbooks and expanding into TV and radio, as well as recipe development and convenience foods.

Her creature Betty Bossi became the "cook of the nation" and conquered television when no one in neighbouring Germany thought of cooking shows. Many believe that Helvetia's national cuisine would be different without Betty Bossi.

In 2012 the company was purchased outright by the supermarket chain Coop, which had previously taken a 50% stake in 2001. Today Betty Bossi continues to be one of the dominant authorities on Swiss cuisine, especially for the home cook. The shelves of Swiss houses are lined with her cookbooks and Coop, uses her name on everything from orange juice to ravioli.

The "Betty Bossi" newspaper today has a circulation of around 900,000 copies. I have been a loyal reader since 1996!!!

One picture to sum up my week

The Trailing Spouse Reimagined

Trailing spouse is not a very popular term, however, personally I consider myself a trailblazing spouse and am fine with that definition.

Three women have taken it one step further ... Several years ago, American Rylla Resler, Italian Francesca Incocciati and Brazilian Adriana Quarck left their careers and friends and moved to Switzerland: they quickly learned that a move abroad is as difficult as it is exciting. They learned that to survive, they would have to reinvent themselves.

"The Trailing Spouse Reimagined" is the brainchild of these energetic ladies who are here to teach you how to thrive when living abroad.

Based on dozens of interviews with men and women who have relocated to Switzerland for their partners' career, "The Trailing Spouse Reimagined" explores the real challenges and true joys of life abroad as a trailing partner. Along the way, the authors bring to life a new kind of ‘trailing spouse’: people from around the globe who discover hidden talents and new wisdom in the challenge of making a life abroad.

Expat readers everywhere will be inspired by the personal and professional dexterity of these often-invisible travelers. Swiss readers will learn about their neighbours from abroad.

This book is for anyone who has ever moved abroad - or knows someone who has. Read and be inspired. "The Trailing Spouse Reimagined: Stories of People Transported by Love" will be published in English on November 18th via Bergli books.

Open: A Boy’s Wayang Adventure

Today I'd like to share a book written by a friend of mine. Eva Wong Nava lives between two worlds. She reads copiously and writes voraciously. We first met in Paris where we used to ride the public bus to school every day accompanying our young daughters. She has since moved to Singapore and our daughters are taller than we are by now.

Eva is a very talented writer and has managed to bring together the rich and yet historical world of Chinese opera in the setting of a Singapore public school, exposing the thoughts, feelings and interactions of a special needs individual meeting that of a neurotypical world.

Open is a 10-year-old boy with a curiosity for life and the things that happen around him. He is on the autism spectrum and loves to draw. He is especially good at drawing monkeys. When his class is selected to perform in a Chinese Opera based on the Monkey King and the Journey to the West, Open must find it in himself to overcome his obstacles and boldly step on stage. A heartwarming story about friendship beyond barriers, Open is a gift calling to the largeness of our hearts.

You're looking at the back cover of the movie edition of the book. Yes, the book is based on a movie, directed by Raymond Tan of Brainchild Pictures. Although most people would say that Open is based on the movie, the author says it's an adaptation of the movie. That's because the book tells the story in Benjamin Oh's voice. Who is Benjamin Oh? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Click here for more info: https://www.ethosbooks.com.sg

Switzerland: A Cartoon Survival Guide

Since 1988, Bergli Books has been publishing books in Switzerland that bridge intercultural gaps. Its mostly-English list has included many Swiss-interest bestsellers of the past two decades, including the Ticking Along Series, Margaret Oertig’s Beyond Chocolate, and Sergio Lievano and Nicole Egger’s Hoi books—the bestselling Swiss German guides of all time. Bergli is unique in Switzerland connecting English readers to Swiss culture and tradition.

Here is their latest publication:

Switzerland is a mystery right at the heart of Europe. Bestselling author and cartoonist Sergio J. Lievano joins forces with journalist Wolfgang Koydl to unravel the enigmas: from the Rütli oath to Swiss politics, alpine fauna to fighter jets, Albert Einstein to Roger Federer. Learning about our eclectic little country has never been so much fun.

You can order this book directly at Bergli: http://www.bergli.ch/

The Lugano Expat Book Club

Are you living around Lugano and love to read? Do you read a book or two a month? Or do you enjoy sporadic reading during the holidays? How does an Expat Book Club sound?

Well, it certainly tickled my fancy and has lead me to expand my horizons not ONLY in reading material. Never the one to pass up an occasion to step out of my comfort zone and meet new people, the Expat Book Club seemed like just the ticket. So what, if it happened to be online? Actually, this suited my fine since I could read or NOT read the book and no one would be the wiser. There was no monthly meeting it was just about the sharing.

This is what Expats do, they share!

But let's start at the beginning... on August 9th a British lady based in Germany decided to create a Facebook Expat Book Club. This group was set up to build a community of women living overseas via a love of reading. Relaxing under a sunshade on an Italian beach and very much in "book-mode" I decided right away to sign up. All of a sudden a group had been created that had so much to share that many a post was exchanged before the first book was even announced.

"Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine" by Gail Honeyman travelled all over the globe as photos kept being posted of where the various members were reading it. More sharing. More comments. More giggles.

Until one day someone asked how many members were based in Paris? Another lady inquired as to which part of Paris we were living? Turns out there are quite a few of us that are practically neighbours. I could not resist. I created an event on Facebook and the Parisian branch of the Expat Book Club was to meet at the local café in real life!

We were only four yesterday morning and the discussion veered off the book pretty fast, however, it was great meeting up thanks to a Facebook group page and finding out you do have quite a lot in common albeit coming from very different places.

This experience has proven to me once again that meeting other Expats is always interesting, inspiring and fun. Two months later the Expat Book Club has over 900 members from all parts of the world...

... so, is there anybody out there who wishes to join the Expat Book Club and maybe even take it a step further and create an event in real life for a Lugano Expat Book Club meet?

It's easy just ask to join the group on Facebook and see where it takes you...

Beyond Chocolate - understanding Swiss culture

Wanting to better understand the Swiss and their culture? Curious about certain traditions and habits?

Immerse yourself in the cultural attitudes of Switzerland’s fascinating, multifaceted society. This study exposes different attitudes and potential misunderstandings about friendship, neighbourliness, being professional, giving and getting compliments and criticism, parenting, schooling, being polite, entertaining, decision making, etiquette, leadership, making plans and much more.

The latest edition contains two chapters about the Swiss approach towards risk and safety such as natural dangers, playing with fire, exposing children to risks like saws, drills and knives at school, the risks on playgrounds, or alpine risk assessment. Sound exciting? Read it for yourself!

Click here for details: http://www.bergli.ch

World Book Day or Dia de la Rosa

International Day of the Book is a yearly event on April 23rd, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Catalonia, Spain. The original idea was of the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes, who died on this date.

In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.

Unesco's vision is that World Book and Copyright Day is an opportunity to highlight the power of books to promote our vision of knowledge societies that are inclusive, pluralistic, equitable, open and participatory for all citizens.

In Catalonia, St. George's Day has been "The Day of the Rose" since 1436, and involves the exchange of gifts between loved ones and respected people—it is analogous to Valentine's Day. Although World Book Day has been celebrated since 1995 internationally, books were exchanged on "The Day of the Rose" in Catalonia since 1929, in memory of Cervantes.

So, whom would you present with a rose or a book today? Which book would you choose?

The world's most influential language

What makes a language influential? Is it one with the most speakers?

According to one group of scholars, including cognitive scientist and linguist Steven Pinker, whether or not a language is influential is less about that language itself, and more about how it connects to others.

To establish how languages are connected, the scholars looked at three forms of writing. If someone, a journalist for example, wants their story to go global, they will most likely print the story in their native language, as well as in those languages they think will have the biggest reach.

First, they looked at over 2.2 million book translations between 1979 and 2011, which were made in over 150 countries and more than a thousand languages. They then looked at which edits to Wikipedia were being done in more than one language, scanning 382 million edits in 238 languages by 2.5 million editors. Finally, they turned to Twitter, looking at 550 million tweets in 73 languages written by 17 million users – more than 10% of Twitter’s active user base.

If researching a global language network shows one thing, it's that English remains the number one most connected language in the world. After English, however, there was no single global network, but rather three sets of smaller networks around the world, linked together by languages that have had historical and colonial influence, such as French, Spanish, German, Russian, Portuguese and Chinese.

The ultimate Ovo cookbook

Looking for a truly Swiss cookbook? One that you can be pretty sure will make a great gift? You might even like to keep it for yourself. Your kids will love it, for sure.

The madeleines will enchant you as much as the chocolate fondant cake. The pancakes will become the Sunday special. As for the more daring, try making the Ovomaltine foie gras.

Check out the Ovo book published by helvetiq. It comes in French and German at a cost of CHF 29.-.

Helvetiq publish games for kids, families and adults in print and digital formats. They like to publish titles that catch attention and make people smile. Ones that inspire them and make them see the unknown in the familiar. Their story began in 2008 with a game about Switzerland. Success is inspiring, and so they continued to create Pictolingua, a vocabulary learning game featuring the colorful illustrations of Swiss artist Agathe Altwegg.

Un Natale insolito

The kids' attention nowadays is difficult to peal away from the screen. The children's library in Besso (LA BIBLIOTECA DEI RAGAZZI) tries its best to captivate the young readers' interest with all kinds of activities and events.

Their latest invention is a funky advent calendar. Just take a look at what today's window opens up to: a lovely short story read by a local family of five called "Un Natale insolito".

Should your children understand Italian it is a charming bedtime story to listen to, just click here: 

http://www.labibliotecadeiragazzi.ch/23-dicembre/

The Switzers - the 193 nationalities of Switzerland

Switzerland has 8.3 million inhabitants, a quarter of whom are migrants from 193 countries. One person from each appears in a new photo book "The Switzers" by photographers Reiner Roduner and Roland Schmid.

When Roduner read that Switzerland was home to people from practically every country in the world an idea was born: find an interesting person from every nation and take their portrait.

All of these people make up an important part of Switzerland’s identity. Identity is in constant flux and is defined by the people who make up a society. This book reflects what they have to say about their new home. Take a look for yourself: http://www.switzersbuch.ch

Watch the crowdfinding video:

100 faces of Switzerland

Remember my post from January 2016? The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) - who are in charge of promoting Switzerland's image abroad - wished to show the world who our country's ambassadors are. They were looking for faces of Switzerland abroad.

Well, here is the result highlighting the importance of the Swiss community abroad which by the way would be Switzerland's fourth biggest canton if all 762'000 of us were to be local residents.

One hundred people, from past and present, with extraordinary life stories, represent their home to the world and influence the image of Switzerland abroad. Their lives are multifaceted and their reasons for emigration diverse. Yet all of Switzerland’s citizens living abroad have something in common – their connection to Switzerland.

Participants were invited to speak about their social background and their professional career in the language of their choice. This created portraits of 90 people from roughly 50 countries and all five continents with different life stories, personal stories that also represent the history of Swiss identity. Furthermore, the lives of ten figures from past centuries are highlighted, figures who made a name for themselves abroad.

Get to know these 100 people on the website www.houseofswitzerland.org

Halloween Party for families

Looking for a Halloween celebration for the whole family? Come celebrate Halloween at All For Kids!

There will be games and crafts for the kids, and Halloween inspired snacks for all. The fun starts at 14:00, and every child in a costume will receive a free gift. Stop by for a short time or stay all afternoon. Parents can mingle or shop while the kids play in our new expanded space. Registration isn't required, but if you know you're coming please tell us so we have enough supplies and snacks.

Contact Robin at 076 580 30 82 if you have any questions. Parking is available. For more information, please visit www.allforkids.ch.

Venue: Halloween Party for families
Where: All For Kids Showroom, Via Cimitero 21, 6592 S. Antonino
Date: Sunday, October 30, 2016
Time: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

A book to help your kids with the move

For those of you who are moving ... yes, t'is the time of season again ... I have come across a lovely book about global "nomad" families called B at Home by Valerie Besanceney. It is a story that will help children and their parents (and stuffed animals!) with any transition or move.

Emma is only ten years old, but has already moved twice. Now, her parents are telling her the family is moving again. She's furious, sad, nervous, and a little excited, all at the same time. Unsure of how to tackle these conflicting emotions, she turns to B, her faithful teddy bear. While trying to come to terms with the challenges of another move, what Emma really wants is just to 'be at home'. As the journeys of Emma and B unfold, home changes once again, but home also begins to take on a new meaning that Emma can take with her wherever she goes. 

Buona lettura!

Ticino and the Mystery of Swiss Identity

Renowned historian Jonathan Steinberg is coming to Franklin University to present the revised and completely updated third edition of "Why Switzerland?", his classic account of Switzerland's unique political and economic system.

This third edition tries to test the flexibility of the Swiss way of politics in the globalized world, social media, the huge expansion of money in world circulation and the vast tsunamis of capital which threaten to swamp it. Can the complex machinery that has maintained Swiss institutions for centuries survive globalization, neo-liberalism and mass migration from poor countries to rich ones?

Prof Steinberg's lecture will focus specifically on Ticino and why the Canton has always chosen to remain Swiss whenever it has been tempted by events around it - especially in Northern Italy.

This is an opportunity not to be missed. A reception and a book signing will follow after the lecture.

Venue: "Ticino and the Mystery of Swiss Identity" by Johan Steinberg
Where: Franklin University Switzerland, Nielsen Auditorium, Via Ponte Tresa 29, 6924 Sorengo
Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2015
Time: 7:00pm

The story of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

Reindeer posts are very popular judging by my readers' post visits, I therefore decided to dig up the history of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer to share with you. Listen up because it IS a story worth telling!

The Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company, department store operators, had been purchasing and distributing children’s coloring books as Christmas gifts for their customers for several years. In 1939, Montgomery Ward tapped one of their own employees to create a book for them, thus saving money. 34-year old copywriter Robert L. May wrote the story of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer in 1939, and 2.4 million copies were handed out that year. Despite the wartime paper shortage, over 6 million copies had been distributed by 1946.

May drew in part on the story “The Ugly Duckling” and in part from his own experiences as an often taunted, small, frail youth to create the story of the misfit reindeer. Though Rollo and Reginald were considered, May settled on Rudolph as his reindeer’s name.

Writing in verse as a series of rhyming couplets, May tested the story as he went along on his 4-year old daughter Barbara, who loved the story

Sadly, Robert Mays wife died around the time he was creating Rudolph, leaving Mays deeply in debt due to medical bills. However, he was able to persuade Sewell Avery, Montgomery Ward’s corporate president, to turn the copyright over to him in January 1947, thus ensuring May’s financial security.

May’s story “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was printed commercially in 1947 and in 1948 a nine-minute cartoon of the story was shown in theaters. When May’s brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, wrote the lyrics and melody for the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, the Rudolph phenomenon was born. Turned down by many musical artists afraid to contend with the legend of Santa Claus, the song was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949 at the urging of Autry’s wife.

The song sold two million copies that year, going on to become one of the best-selling songs of all time, second only to Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”. The 1964 television special about Rudolph, narrated by Burl Ives, remains a holiday favorite to this day and Rudolph himself has become a much-loved Christmas icon.