Lend me your wings – History of Clara the Rhinoceros, by Igiaba Scego. REVIEW

The creativity of Scego turned a painting by Pietro Longhi exposed at Ca ‘Rezzonico, and that portrays the rhinoceros Clara, into a beautiful kids story full of humane meanings and values. The story does not only embody part of Venice’s history, but also it contains many principles and values that should be taught to the young generation. The story teaches the co-existence of different races and religions through its two-main human protagonists: a Jewish girl from the Ghetto and a Muslim African slave. It shows also how cooperation between people can lead to positive results regardless of the diverse backgrounds they belong to, the thing that strengthens the sense of tolerance, and internalizes it in its readers. It also teaches values of the co-existence with other species. All that and many other aspects about the history of the city are simplified, and put in a very smooth, and understandable way in this very interesting story.