My Sweet Orange Tree

A WORLDWIDE CLASSIC OF CHILDREN''S LITERATURE: a moving, life-affirming childhood story from Brazil

Meet Zezé - Brazil''s naughtiest and most loveable boy, his talent for mischief matched only by his great kindness.
When he grows up he wants to be a poet with a bow-tie but for now he entertains himself playing pranks on the residents of his family''s poor Rio de Janeiro neighborhood and inventing friends to play with. Zezé’s pranks can be a little too mischievous – at least, so say his parents, who punish him harshly when he misbehaves. His father is out of work and the family unhappiness falls hardest on Zezé, the second-youngest of seven siblings. That is, until he meets a real friend, and his life begins to change. With the help of Pinkie, the talking orange tree, Manuel, who gives Zezé rides in his car, and with his own endless supply of resourcefulness and imagination, Zezé will triumph over any adversity.
This worldwide classic of children''s literature has never been out of print in Brazil since it was first published in 1968. Translated into an astonishing number of languages, it has won the hearts of millions of young readers from Korea to Turkey, Poland to Thailand, and many other countries too, with its inimitable blend of the heart-rending and the whimsical.

'Tender, joyful' Guardian 'One of the most memorable characters in all children's literature' The School LibrarianMeet Zezé, Brazil's naughtiest and most loveable boy, his talent for mischief matched only by his kindness. When he grows up he wants to be 'a poet with a bow-tie' - and to stop making his parents angry with all his mistakes. For now, he entertains himself playing pranks on the residents of his poor Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood, and when he has troubles he tells them to the talking orange tree in his back garden. That is, until he meets a real friends, and his life begins to change... My Sweet Orange Tree is a worldwide classic of children's literature, whose cheeky, resilient hero has won the hearts of millions of young readers. Part of the new Pushkin Children's Classics series of thrilling, magical and inspiring stories from around the world, which young readers will return to time and again. Translated by Alison Entrekin. José Mauro de Vasconcelos (1920-84) was a Brazilian writer who worked as a sparring partner for boxers, as a labourer on a banana farm, and a fisherman before he started writing at the age of 22. He is most famous for his autobiographical novel My Sweet Orange Tree, which tells the story of his own childhood in Rio de Janeiro. Alison Entrekin is an acclaimed translator from Portuguese, whose translations include Budapest by Chico Buarque, which was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.