The Adventures of Cipollino

Original title: Приключения Чиполлино

In 1956, Detgiz published the first Russian edition of Gianni Rodari’s The Adventures of Cipollino, illustrated by Vladimir G. Suteev. For generations of readers, the charming vegetable characters from Rodari’s beloved tale remain inseparable from the images created by Suteev’s hand. Later illustrators of Cipollino rarely departed from his visual concept — proof of how perfectly Suteev captured the spirit and personality of each character as imagined by the author.

The 1956 Cipollino remains one of the most memorable Soviet children’s books — not only for its lively narrative, but for Suteev’s brilliant illustrations that brought humor, warmth, and motion to every page. His drawings, full of dynamic linework and expressive faces, reflect his background as an animation director. Each image feels like a frame from an unseen film, alive with movement and emotion.

Speaking of book illustration during the Soviet period, one cannot avoid the subject of ideological censorship. Yet artists like Suteev still managed to preserve a surprising degree of creative freedom. While avant-garde experimentation was impossible, Soviet illustrators reimagined both classical realism and the graphic traditions of the Silver Age. Suteev’s work, with its meticulous attention to detail, stood alongside the freer, more painterly style of Victor Chizhikov, showing how diverse and inventive this art form could be.

As his colleague Dmitry Babichenko once said, “Vladimir Grigorievich draws with his left hand and writes with his right — and his right hand always knows what the left is doing.” Suteev was ambidextrous, able to write and draw simultaneously, a fitting metaphor for his ability to unite artistry and storytelling. His illustrations for The Adventures of Cipollino not only defined the visual world of Rodari’s tale but even inspired the design of popular children’s toys across the Soviet Union.