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 readers across the
globe.