About this item

A beautiful, wise tale about imagination, chronic illness, and friendship for young readers by an Italy's foremost children's book author.. "I don't think I have read anything like this before - a tale of life, death, love and beauty. . . . I hope this unforgettable story finds all the readers it deserves." - Philip Pullman. Long, long ago, a boy lies confined by sickness to his windowless bedchambers. He can never experience the outside world, never breathe fresh air or feel the warmth of the sun on his skin, so his doting father summons a painter to embellish his rooms with beautiful murals. The artist sets to work, and soon there is a fabulous world on the walls, a colorful, shifting landscape peopled by shepherds and lovers, criss-crossed by armies and pirate ships.