The Adventures of Cipollino

Written by Gianni Rodari · Translated by Antony Shugaar · Illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova

A young onion battles a tyrant to free his father and save a kingdom.

4.2 Goodreads · 6,905 ratings

248 pages· ~840L

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Bookroo's summary

Cipollino, a brave young onion, embarks on a daring quest to rescue his imprisoned father from the clutches of the tyrannical Prince Lemon. Along the way, he encounters a world of talking fruits and vegetables, forming alliances and outsmarting scoundrels with wit and humor. As Cipollino's journey unfolds, the fate of an entire kingdom hangs in the balance, challenging him to restore dignity and freedom to its quirky inhabitants. Will Cipollino's courage and cleverness be enough to topple the absurd rule of Prince Lemon and bring justice to his world?

From the publisher

In this enchantingly whimsical tale from Italy’s great children’s author Gianni Rodari, a young onion named Cipollino sets out into the world to study scoundrels, and in so doing, he undoes the tyrannical Prince Lemon, while making a legion of friends along the way.A 2026 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book!One of 100 Scope Notes’s Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2025!One of New York Magazine / The Strategist’s Best New Books for Kids Published in 2025! A Kirkus Reviews Fall Preview selection!Cipollino is young, brave, clever, and determined–exactly the kind of valiant hero that’s bound to triumph in fairy tales.In this colorful, episodic adventure story, in which nearly everyone is animal, vegetable, or fruit, Cipollino leaves home and sets off into the world to free his wrongfully imprisoned father. In the process, he faces off against scoundrels of all kinds with wit and humor, while winning both allies and friends.What hangs in the balance is the freedom of an entire kingdom from the ridiculous rules of the all-powerful Prince Lemon and the dignity of each blueberry, string bean, and spider!This is a charming, comic, highly readable work of fiction for readers 9 and up, which also has the distinction of being one of Hayao Miyazaki’s “50 Favorite Children’s Books” of all time.

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