The book “No dragons for Celeste” by Ole Könnecke and Nikolaus Heidelbach, translated by Chiara Belliti (Beisler), is the winner of the Strega Girls and Boys’ Award, category Narration for images. This was decided by the Scientific Committee, composed of Martino Negri, Ilaria Tagliaferri and Virginia Tonfoni. The winning book was proclaimed at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2025, who awarded a cash prize to the authors.
The Hiidelbach and Könnecke register, this is the motivation of recognition, is “fun and surprising at the same time, characterized by a double visual register that allows the authors to experience a form of hybrid and complex, decidedly original textuality, based on a fascinating dialogue between expressive languages: comic and illustration”. The simplicity of the story narrated – with a brother in charge of taking care of the little sister instead of the parents, from the neighbors for a party, and to put it in bed – a small domestic adventure is transformed, “where reality and imagination, everyday life and fantastic size, find a perfect balance point due to the encounter and the clash between the Könnecke cartoon, sparkling in the dialogues and happily expressive in the outline of the brothers’ characters, and The disturbing tables of Heidelbach, where the frightening fantasies of Boris are called to deal with the derisive irreverence of the small and indomitable celestial “. For the scientific committee it is “a splendid book on a strictly narrative and visual level that betrays a clear childhood vision by the authors, capable of grasping it with honesty and tenderness, and welcoming and respecting all its complex facets”.
Among the 42 books proposed by the publishers in this category of competition, the Scientific Committee had also chosen the book by Beatrice Masini “Children and Gardens” in the finalist Terna, illustrated by Francesca Ballarini (Timpetill), and that of Cristiana Pezzetta and Sylvie Bello, “The little girl and the bear” (mice). A special mention is assigned to Neil Packer for “The parable of the independent bakery”, translated by Sara Saorin (Camelozampa).
The meeting at the Bologna Fair, conducted by Marcella Terrusi, in addition to the finalist authors, Elena Pasoli (Bologna Director of Bologna’s Book Fair), Stefano Petrocchi (Director of the Maria and Goffredo Bellonci Foundation), Lina Meccariello (Strega Alberti Benevento Spa Directional Assistant Spa), and members of the Scientific Committee Martino Negri, Ilaria Tagliaferri and Virginia Tonfoni attended.
During the award ceremony, the first ten years of the Strega girls and boys were celebrated, through the story of Alessandro Barbaglia, Simonetta Bitasi and Maddalena Vaglio Trent. Established with the aim of going to the roots of the passion for reading, promoting its educational and cultural value, finding out what are the most loved stories by giving voice to children and young people between 6 and 13 years old, the prize was born in 2016 in the year when the Strega prize celebrated its seventieth anniversary.
Also announced. The first selection of the titles in the race in categories 6+, 8+ and 11+ and the finalist tria of the debut book category, available on the website www.premiostrega.it the next appointment of the Strega Girls and boys award will take place on Friday 16 May, at 2 pm, at the Bookstock Arena of the International Book Fair of Turin, where the Terne of the Categories of Competition 6+, 8+, 11+ will be made known and the winner of the Book category will be announced debut.