Why a bilingual board book in English and Italian?

If you're raising a child in a bilingual household — particularly one where Italian and English are spoken — you've probably noticed how few board books exist for this specific combination. There are flashcards, apps, and workbooks. But a proper board book, with clear illustrations and both languages on every page, is surprisingly difficult to find.

Most bilingual children's books are designed for older readers: they assume literacy, or they treat the second language as a subject rather than a living part of family life. For a baby or toddler, what's needed is much simpler. A word. An image. A quiet moment of recognition.

What we looked for and didn't find

When we started searching for a bilingual board book in English and Italian, we had three requirements. It had to be visually calm — not overcrowded with illustrations competing for attention. It had to present both languages equally, not as a translation exercise. And it had to be a physical object worth having in the house: well-made, well-printed, built to survive a toddler's hands.

What we found instead was either too busy, too flimsy, or only available in English with a handful of Italian vocabulary cards tucked in as an afterthought. Nothing that felt designed.

How Words · Parole works

Words · Parole is a board book with 48 watercolour illustrations across six categories: body, home, animals, food, nature, and transport. Each word appears in English and Italian, side by side, using the format word · parola. The order follows a Montessori-inspired logic, moving from the child's own body outward into the wider world.

The book is 180 × 180 mm, printed on FSC-certified board with matt lamination and rounded corners. It's designed to be held, pointed at, and returned to — not to teach through repetition, but to name the world as a child encounters it.

Who it's for

Words · Parole is for families who speak English and Italian at home — whether in London, Milan, or anywhere in between. It's for grandparents who want to read with their grandchildren in Italian. It's for anyone who believes that a child's first book should be as carefully considered as anything else in their home.