My Sweet Orange Tree

De: José Mauro de Vasconcelos, Alison Entrekin - translator

Narrado por: Jonathan Davis

Fifty years after its first publication, the multimillion-copy international bestseller is available again in English, sharing the heartbreaking tale of a gifted, mischievous, direly misunderstood boy growing up in Rio de Janeiro.

When the precocious Zeze grows up, he wants to be a poet in a bow tie. But for now he entertains himself playing clever pranks on the residents of his Rio de Janeiro shantytown, stunts for which his parents and siblings punish him soundly. Now that his father is out of work, the beatings have become harsher, and life has gotten bleaker. Zeze’s only solace comes from his time at school, his hours secretly spent singing with a Bahian street musician, or his time of refuge with his magical orange tree, which both listens and offers him sage advice. But finally, Zeze meets a real friend and his life begins to change - opening him up to both human tenderness and wrenching sorrow. Never out of print in Brazil since it was first published in 1968, My Sweet Orange Tree, inspired by the author’s own childhood, has been translated into many languages and has won the hearts of millions of young listeners across the globe.

©1968 Editora Melhoramentos Ltda, Brazil, original book published by Candlewick Press (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing Inc., all rights reserved. English translation © 2019 by Alison Entrekin.

Endearing

Beautifully written story, took me back to my childhood and all the mischief we cause.

Beautifully done

I read this book when I was a kid back in Argentina. It was in Spanish but I was so delighted to find it here as well. This book blew my mind when I was a kid and listening to it again as an adult I feel like I get it even more. I love how the author could mix childhood, reality and life lessons in such a pure way. I’m really happy with this book.

Insightful and Tender

This book reminded me how precious innocence is and how important kindness is in our world. Loved every page.