EN
This paper talks about the moment of birth of not only Italy as a country (1861) but also Italian literature for children. The author tries to present and make Polish readers familiar with some works and their authors that are quite often unknown in Poland. The article also shows the history of creating the first important didactic work by Luigi Alessandro Parravicini "Giannetto", which reigned for almost 50 years in the Italian literary scene as a prototype of school literary work. The aim of this paper is to present the history of creating a book about a wooden puppet – "Pinocchio" written by Parravicini’s succesor Collodi, as well as other works by the same writer, e.g. "Giannettino". The article points out the specific conditions in which the unification of Italy took place and the reforms that had to be carried out so that the country could rise from the economic and social ruin. Literature for children became one of the important elements which united the new generation of Italians.