My Dog and I Text: Luca Tortolini Illustrations: Felicita Sala Hardcover with jacket 48 pages Width: 9.5” Height: 11.5” Ages 4 to 8 Grade: L-2 Publication date: November 21, 2023 Full-color illustrations throughout ISBN: 9781990252303 Price: US$20.99 CAN$25.99 Fiction Distributed in the US by Abrams and in Canada by Manda Group
A delightfully imaginative story of a little girl who’s always wanted a dog, who shows us that love knows no bounds.
Selling points • AWARD-WINNING DUO: Tortolini and Sala are both winners of the Premio Andersen, one of Italy’s top children’s literature prizes. Sala is also a former NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Book recipient, whose recent works Be a Tree and Dark on Light have earned Kirkus starred reviews in back-to-back years (2021 and 2022). • BOUNDLESS LOVE: The main character’s unique perception of animals offers parents and educators a starting point to discuss the nondiscriminatory nature of showing love and caring for others. • SOCIAL STAR: Illustrator Felicita Sala has nearly 74k followers on Instagram.
Other titles by these creators As Night Falls (Donna Jo Napoli, Felicita Sala - Random House Studio, 2023), What’s Cooking in Flowerville? (Felicita Sala – Prestel Junior, 2022), Dark On Light (Dianne White, Felicita Sala - Beach Lane Book, 2022), All from a Walnut (AmmiJoan Paquette, Felicita Sala - Harry N. Abrams, 2022), The Octopus Escapes (Maile Meloy, Felicita Sala - G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books, 2021), Be A Tree! (Maria Gianferrari, Felicita Sala - Harry N. Abrams, 2021), Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street (Felicita Sala – Prestel Junior, 2019)
Rights sold French (North America) — Comme des géants Italian — Terre di Mezzo Editore
Out for a walk one day, a girl stumbles upon a lost “dog.” Having always wanted a dog of her own, she brings the “little” creature home and takes care of it in secret from her parents. Proud of her new “dog,” she plays with it, feeds it, and even takes it around town — much to the chagrin of the townspeople and other kids who’ve been mean to her in the past. But one day, when her “little” friend gets the urge to chase something and ends up wandering off, she finds herself with too much sadness to bear. Will she ever find her “dog” again? Luca Tortolini is a writer, screenwriter, and teacher. His first book, Le case degli altri bambini (The Houses of Other Children), received a Special Mention for the Opera Prima Award for best debut book at the 2016 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Since then, he has also been named a recipient of the 2017 Janusz Korczak Prize and the 2021 Premio Andersen (Andersen Prize). He lives in Macerata, Italy.
Felicita Sala taught herself illustration and started making picture books upon her return to her native Italy from Australia in 2007. She now works as a full-time illustrator and is, notably, a winner of the 2018 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books for She Made a Monster. In 2020, she also won the Premio Andersen (Andersen Prize) as Italy’s top illustrator, and her own book Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street has been translated into ten languages. She lives in Rome.