When fear knocks on the door : the case of a picture book : social emotional learning on early childhood in China and Italy = Quando la paura bussa alla porta : il caso di un albo illustrato : apprendimento socio-emotivo nella prima infanzia in Cina e Italia

Social-emotional competencies involve skills that enable children to explore the world, understand themselves and build relationships with others. The role of the picture book can be an important source, crossculturally, to evoke children to perceive, facilitate, understand and manage their emotions. The present study aimed at giving voice to early childhood from a social-emotional learning perspective, using an exemplarily selected picture book When Fear Knocks on the Door (An, 2018). Participants were pupils aged between 3 to 10 years and teachers from China and Italy, from primary schools and preschools. It lasted from 2021 to 2023 and used the action research methodology. This contribution4 starts with a pedagogical frame, focusing on the need for an integrated educational project shaping spaces and actions for deep and lasting development of children’s social and emotional skills and well-being