From Orbis Pictus to brand new illustrated book of scientific popularization for children. Teaching the world through marvel and beauty

Scientific coordinator: Prof. Emma Beseghi (up to 2019), Dr. Giorgia Grilli  (up to the end)

Project team: Tiziana Pironi, Paola Govoni, Milena Bernardi, Giorgia Grilli, William Grandi 

Project Duration (in months): 24 

Start Date: 29/01/2018  

End Date: 28/01/2020 

Status: closed

Total Budget: 20.000 euro 

Project’s Topics: Literature for Children, Scientific Education, History of Education, Children's Publishing, Illustration 

Description: The research main object concerns the analysis of the non-fiction illustrated books for children on popularization and scientific communication: it is a publishing sector greatly expanding, but currently not sufficiently analyzed by the pedagogical and historical disciplines. The research’s aim is to verify the educational, expressive and instructional potential that these editorial resources on science and technology can activate in the sectors of school instruction and informal education. The composition of the research group allows for an integrated and trans-disciplinary methodology that includes pedagogy, history of science, history of education, children's publishing and illustrations art. The long-term impact foreseen for this research intends to promote a new social, scientific and aesthetic awareness starting from the quality publishing for children on scientific popularization, thus intersecting different educational contexts: schools, families, nature and society.