Giovanni Francesco "Gianni" Rodari (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒanni roˈdaːri]; 23 October 1920 – 14 April 1980) was an Italian writer and journalist, most famous for his works of children's literature, notably Il romanzo di Cipollino. For his lasting contribution as a children's author, he received the biennial Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1970. He is considered as Italy's most important 20th-century children's author and his books have been translated into many languages, though few have been published in English. Source: Wikipedia (en)