The Dreaming Mouse and Other Country Animals

From the poet and “paesologist” Franco Arminio comes a fresh edition of his contemporary bestiary, capturing the soul of Italy’s rural villages, or paesi. Enchanting and entertaining for readers of all ages, it combines lyricism with humour in his unique narrative style. Here we find the unemployed spider, the water-carrying donkey, the imaginary hornet, the melancholic cow, the forgetful dog, the solitary eel, the clandestine python, and the widowed cricket. These are but a few of the fifty-six tales in which animals are depicted through their connections with people—often affectionate, at times irritated. Their moods and experiences draw smiles with a sincerity—at times naïve—that encourage us to reflect on the enduring bond between animals and humans. In the village communities he so loves, Arminio’s stories go beyond the allegorical use of animals in traditional fables simply as reflections of human virtues or vices. Instead, each creature has its own unique identity, with a name, a social role, and a personality with genuine emotions, brought to life in Giulia Masia’s evocative illustrations.

Il topo sognatore e altri animali di paese. Esercizi di paezoologia
Franco Arminio, illustrations by Giulia Masia
Electakids, 2024