Il potere delle storie: come raccontare la malattia ai bambini?

This article analyses recent Italian picturebooks that address illness in childhood. While these books aim to support children and families during illness, their narratives often mirror the limited agency and uncertainty of real-life medical experiences, resulting in minimal plot development and narrow narrative horizons. Through close readings of several titles, the article highlights how direct explanations, symbolic representations, or animal protagonists are used to frame illness, yet often at the cost of narrative vitality. Drawing on reader-response theory and studies on children’s literature, the article argues that children benefit from stories that offer movement, metaphor, and imaginative distance—qualities that allow emotional resonance without overwhelming proximity to trauma. Ultimately, the article calls for broad, imaginative approaches to stories about illness, recognising that children may find support not only in realistic depictions but also in distant or metaphorical narratives that empower and engage them.