Favole al telefono by Gianni Rodari is a wonderful and – at the same time – very complex children’s book. Unfortunately, children and even adults with intellectual and/or communication disabilities do not always have access to this kind of fiction. Nevertheless, such children’s books may become more accessible by translating them into simplified languages, such as by using Easy-to-Read and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). In particular, in texts in symbols the association between words and pictograms amplifies the meaning of the written text and makes it much easier to understand. To make the simplification more effective, the original text needs to be re-written in Easy-to-Read before being translated into AAC symbols. Thus, narratives in symbols can encourage people with basic reading difficulties to read more and people with communication disabilities to approach their ‘first’ language, i.e. simplified language. At the same time, caregivers are provided with a tool to communicate with people with this type of difficulties and can receive fruitful feedback. Originally, stories in symbols were ‘tailor-made’ books for individuals with specific difficulties, but today the need emerges for standard practices to reach a wider readership.
