Alma's life changed when she discovered an adorable tiny creature inside an almond. She named her Almondine and it became her secret. But as the curious and funny little girl grew, something strange and magical began to happen.
Enriched with elegant illustrations on nearly every page, Almondine is the first title in a series narrating the adventures of two very special girls.
194 pages with 160 sepia illustrations. 28 chapters. Reading level: 7+
The Almondine Book Series follows the life and adventures of a teeny-weeny girl born from an almond tree. Illustrated on nearly every page, the story's overarching themes of friendship, family relationships and adventure aim to engage mostly with primary school readers. www.almondine.club
The Author
Gabriele Zucchelli is an animator and filmmaker, whose work includes cartoon characters, realistic animals and fantastical creatures. He has contributed to several hand-drawn productions and blockbuster CGI movies including Harry Potter, Disney's latest Lion King and the Oscar-winning Jungle Book. He has recently co-supervised the animation of the Oscar-winning The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy and the BBC's mini-series Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures. In 2008, he also directed a well-received historical documentary on the first-ever animated feature film, Quirino Cristiani. The Almondine series is his first work as an author of children's books.
Outline
Alma's life turned upside down the day she discovered a teeny-weeny baby girl inside an almond.
Alma is an eight-year-old girl living in on the outskirts of London, and she has the most amazing secret in the world: but what will she do with this lively and cheeky little sprite?
She starts by trying her best to look after her and protect her from all possible dangers.
As the months go by, hidden from everyone else, Almondine quickly grows into a curious and odd little creature who occasionally causes all kinds of innocent mischief.
Until, one day, a flower sprouts from her head. It becomes just another opportunity for the two playmates to improvise some fun but as the tiny girl grows older, so her overall appearance changes.
Alma is over-protective and keen to keep her minuscule friend always in her room but Almondine develops a strong urge for discovery and, very soon, she wants to venture out of Alma's room and explore the outside world.
When summer arrives, Almondine finally persuades Alma to let her stay in her garden playhouse, where she can make her new home next to nature. Not long after this, Almondine vanishes.
Alma is very upset by the disappearance but just when her hopes of reuniting with Almondine have faded, the little sprite reappears. Totally transformed.
The third title in the Almondine series is once again full of illustrations and funny moments. And this time, the story gets more shocking, with Alma having to face a challenge far beyond her means. But her stubborn and unconditional love for Almondine and her babies make her the star of this new adventure.
In their new home, Alma helps Almondine grow into a beautiful sapling. The magical little tree remains Alma's friend and confidante and, less than a year later, she has a surprise for her: a lot of new, tiny 'almond babies'! Alma tries to deal with the overwhelming situation but, before she has even had time to build them a home, the little ones mysteriously disappear. Will Alma and her new friend, Denzel, be able to find them before it's too late?
Almondine Book Series
Almondine is the name of a teeny-weeny girl born from an almond tree. The book series revolves around her and her young adoptive mother and friend, Alma. Illustrated on almost every page, the story's overarching themes of friendship, family relationships and love of nature aim to engage primarily primary school readers.
The Author
Gabriele Zucchelli is an animator and filmmaker, whose work includes cartoon characters, realistic animals and fantastical creatures. He has contributed to several hand-drawn productions and blockbuster CGI movies including Harry Potter, Disney's latest Lion King and the Oscar-winning Jungle Book. He has recently co-supervised the animation of the Oscar-winning The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy and the BBC's mini-series Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures. In 2008, he also directed a well-received historical documentary on the first-ever animated feature film, Quirino Cristiani. The Almondine series is his first work as an author of children's books.
Outline
Alma's adventure with Almondine continues in her new Los Angeles home. The tiny sprite is fast becoming a sapling and the two secretly enjoy their last precious moments together. Finally, Almondine completely transforms into a beautiful little tree, but Alma soon finds out the magic is not over yet.
Alma is struggling to settle in her new school and her parents, seeing her confide with a tree every day, are concerned, and decide to give her a dog for company: Bubble, a cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who will accompany Alma everywhere she goes. Things seem to improve and she even becomes best friends with her arch-enemy from her class, Denzel.
It's her last week at school and just before she is due to take a trip back to Europe, she discovers that Almondine had left many tiny almond babies for her. But before she's even got time to organise a way to look after them, they mysteriously disappear.
Alma is desperate and decides to share Almondine's secret with Denzel. Together they launch into a quest to bring back the babies, only to find themselves in a really complicated situation.
They secretly venture far from home and, in the hope of resolving this matter alone, they end up getting trapped inside a devious world involving animal trafficking.
Alma, Denzel, and even Dad have to find a way to save their lives, the almond babies, and the safekeeping of Almondine's secret.
Our teeny-weeny Almondine has grown up and is eager to enjoy her freedom. But a silly mistake leads her far from her foster mother, Alma, and the safety of her home. Alongside quirky characters, she endures a dangerous and complicated journey to find her way back. And, as the days go by, Almondine is undergoing an irreversible transformation. One she has to learn to accept.
A charming story for young readers, enriched with elegant illustrations on nearly every page, Almondine Grows Up is the second title of the series in which we closely follow the teeny-weeny girl's dangerous and exhilarating adventures in her wild micro world.
The Almondine Book Series follows the life and adventures of a teeny-weeny girl born from an almond tree. Illustrated on nearly every page, the story's overarching themes of friendship, family relationships and adventure aim to engage mostly with primary school readers. www.almondine.club
The Author
Gabriele Zucchelli is an animator and filmmaker, whose work includes cartoon characters, realistic animals and fantastical creatures. He has contributed to several hand-drawn productions and blockbuster CGI movies including Harry Potter, Disney's latest Lion King and the Oscar-winning Jungle Book. He has recently co-supervised the animation of the Oscar-winning The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy and the BBC's mini-series Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures. In 2008, he also directed a well-received historical documentary on the first-ever animated feature film, Quirino Cristiani. The Almondine series is his first work as an author of children's books.
Outline
In the second book, Almondine tells us what happened to her from when she disappears from Alma's garden until they finally meet again.
It all begins when Alma allows her little Almondine to make her own home in the garden playhouse. But Almondine is too curious and at night, she begins to escape outside to meet all the inhabitants of the mysterious wild world.
Her new life feels like a dream until she meets a handsome but mischievous cat, Spritz.
Her rashness, lack of judgement and misfortune take her a long way from home and she faces a long and dangerous journey to find her way back to her beloved Alma.
But both Almondine and the various funny characters she meets along the way will have something to discover from each other.
Amongst them is Orzo, a self-assured little mouse, Tosca, a depressed toad and Chicobroo, a young wood pigeon afraid of heights.
And as the days go by, Almondine grows and transforms herself, to become almost unrecognisable. Her journey is also an internal conflict, one of acceptance and self-determination.
Will Alma and Almondine ever be able to be together as before?
After heroically rescuing the Almondine children, Alma and her best friend Denzel are preparing to leave for the family holiday to Spain. But little does Alma know that Denzel has a big secret: he kept an almond child!
A seemingly innocent deception turns into a huge responsibility for Denzel, one that has the power to shatter his and Alma's friendship. Can he regain her trust and keep the almond child safe?
Almondine Book Series
Almondine is the name of a teeny-weeny girl born from an almond tree. The book series revolves around her and her young adoptive mother and friend, Alma. Illustrated on almost every page, the story's overarching themes of friendship, family relationships and love of nature aim to engage primarily primary school readers.
