In a land of fruits and vegetables, insects and animals, a young onion leads the townspeople in their fight against oppression and injustice. His goal? The fall of tyrannical Prince Lemon, and of scoundrels everywhere. His method? Reliance on mischief, ingenuity, courage, and friendship. His guiding principle? The inalienable right of every blueberry, string bean, and spider––in other words, of all––to liberty, dignity, and justice. His name? Cipollino.

The Adventures of Cipollino was written by Italy's great children's author, Gianni Rodari, as Italy sought to rebuild after Mussolini and the vacuum of World War II. This is the first ever English translation published of this classic piece of Italian literature. Rodari translator Antony Shugaar provides a spirited text, and Dasha Tolstikova accompanies it with delightful illustrations throughout.

This book for young readers is geared toward kids 9 and up, but adults will enjoy it, too, and probably find a lot of parallels to the world we live in today, decades after Mussolini. The good news here is that the good guys ultimately triumph.

Hardcover with dust jacket, 244 pages. 2025.