Alessandro Sanna is one of Italy’s leading contemporary illustrators. He has earned wide recognition across Europe as a painter, illustrator and author, and his work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review and The New Yorker. He is a prolific creator of illustrated books for children and readers of all ages. Among his accolades, he has received three Andersen Awards and is the first Italian illustrator to have been appointed as Children’s Laureate by the Associazione delle librerie indipendenti per ragazzi in 2020-2022 (ALIR – Association of Independent Children’s Bookshops). He teaches illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and collaborates with dozens of writers and publishers. His books have been translated and published across the world. Among his latest publications is the book in canto (Terre di mezzo, 2023), with a poetic text by children’s writer Giusi Quarenghi. The book represents an evolutionary journey of sign and color that started with Fiume lento (Rizzoli, 2013; 2019), passing through Moby Dick (Rizzoli 2012; 2019) and Pinocchio prima di Pinocchio (Orecchio Acerbo, 2016). The latter has been published in English as Pinocchio: The Origin Story (Enchanted Lion Books, 2016).