José Mauro de Vasconcelos

My Sweet Orange Tree

'Tender, joyful' Guardian 'One of the most memorable characters in all children's literature' The School Librarian Meet 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.