02 December 2025
Winter, the Cat, the Fire and the Book
From the poet Alba Donati comes a perfect book for the run-up to Christmas. Little Adelaide realises she already has everything she needs to be happy: a warm, ...
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Winter, the Cat, the Fire and the Book
From the poet Alba Donati comes a perfect book for the run-up to Christmas.
Little Adelaide realises she already has everything she needs to be happy: a warm, welcoming home with a crackling fire, a cat that never leaves her side, a book brimming with ever-new tales to read, and the enchantment of a snow-white winter outside. What more could she possibly want?
Just a few carefully chosen words form the text of this beautifully poetic children’s book. They celebrate the simplicity of little things – the stuff of everyday life – which can be enough to bring us joy, if only we know how to notice them and make good use of them. Anna Rizzi’s gentle illustrations pair beautifully with the lyrical voice of the poet, marking her debut in writing for young readers and giving this book the power to warm the spirit even in an age dominated by an endless accumulation of objects and a restless pursuit of gratification without true desire.
This Christmas tale offers young readers a message of great value, and leaves older ones with a question: what more could we possibly wish for?
Reading age: from 7 years
L’inverno, la gatta, il fuoco e il libro
Alba Donati, illustrations by Anna Rizzi
Mondadori, 2025