Almondine's Babies

The third title in the Almondine series is once again full of illustrations and funny moments. And this time, the story gets more shocking, with Alma having to face a challenge far beyond her means. But her stubborn and unconditional love for Almondine and her babies make her the star of this new adventure.

In their new home, Alma helps Almondine grow into a beautiful sapling. The magical little tree remains Alma's friend and confidante and, less than a year later, she has a surprise for her: a lot of new, tiny 'almond babies'! Alma tries to deal with the overwhelming situation but, before she has even had time to build them a home, the little ones mysteriously disappear. Will Alma and her new friend, Denzel, be able to find them before it's too late?

Almondine Book Series 

Almondine is the name of a teeny-weeny girl born from an almond tree. The book series revolves around her and her young adoptive mother and friend, Alma. Illustrated on almost every page, the story's overarching themes of friendship, family relationships and love of nature aim to engage primarily primary school readers.

The Author 

Gabriele Zucchelli is an animator and filmmaker, whose work includes cartoon characters, realistic animals and fantastical creatures. He has contributed to several hand-drawn productions and blockbuster CGI movies including Harry Potter, Disney's latest Lion King and the Oscar-winning Jungle Book. He has recently co-supervised the animation of the Oscar-winning The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy and the BBC's mini-series Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures. In 2008, he also directed a well-received historical documentary on the first-ever animated feature film, Quirino Cristiani. The Almondine series is his first work as an author of children's books.

Outline

Alma's adventure with Almondine continues in her new Los Angeles home. The tiny sprite is fast becoming a sapling and the two secretly enjoy their last precious moments together. Finally, Almondine completely transforms into a beautiful little tree, but Alma soon finds out the magic is not over yet.

Alma is struggling to settle in her new school and her parents, seeing her confide with a tree every day, are concerned, and decide to give her a dog for company: Bubble, a cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who will accompany Alma everywhere she goes. Things seem to improve and she even becomes best friends with her arch-enemy from her class, Denzel.

It's her last week at school and just before she is due to take a trip back to Europe, she discovers that Almondine had left many tiny almond babies for her. But before she's even got time to organise a way to look after them, they mysteriously disappear.

Alma is desperate and decides to share Almondine's secret with Denzel. Together they launch into a quest to bring back the babies, only to find themselves in a really complicated situation.

They secretly venture far from home and, in the hope of resolving this matter alone, they end up getting trapped inside a devious world involving animal trafficking. 

Alma, Denzel, and even Dad have to find a way to save their lives, the almond babies, and the safekeeping of Almondine's secret.