Every evening, at dusk, little fruit bat Agata flies out of the old temple to look for mangoes and peaches. The night forest is full of wonders: there are delicious fruits, scary birds of prey, and somewhere down below among the bushes grow the most beautiful things in the world.
Agata’s adventures tell a kind and sincere story of friendship that can be found in the most unusual places.
Agata flitted from underneath my pen when one morning I was doodling in my notebook, thinking of what to write next. When I saw her, I knew at once that she was very curious, liked peaches and peonies, never drank blood (yuk!) and that her brothers made fun of her sometimes. Agata waved to me and flew onto the next page, and I started writing her story, trying to keep up.
Later I met Yuuri Saito, an outstanding illustrator, and together with Yuuri, we have brought Agata’s story to life. It wasn’t an easy process: we did several rounds of submissions, multiple editorial passes, took Agata to Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2019, consulted professionals in the publishing industry from the US and UK, changed the layout, updated the illustrations, then reworked the entire project. Finally, we had something great and ready for publication, and thanks to the dedicated staff at Bookmobile, our vision of the book has come true in this gorgeous hardcover. We hope you enjoy it!