Lupu Lupettu loved books. As in, he loved EATING books. It's not chocolate which did it for him, but the tasty taste of paper, in all sizes and shapes.
One day his girlfriend Lupa Lupetta said to him: "Lupu! How about actually opening the book to see what's inside instead of eating it?"
Lupu was aghast. "I hate reading," he mumbled.
But his friends had a plan: they gave him a specially chosen book and they told him that they would not play with him anymore until he read it all.
Pfft, said Lupu to himself as he flopped on the sofa with the book in hand. But just then, something magical happened - Lupu found himself in the Land of Books. As he wandered around he met the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, Mowgli and Shere Khan from The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Geppetto and many more. Then - kaboom - he suddenly found himself back on the armchair with the book in hand.
He quickly opened the book, wanting to know more about their adventures. So much so that when his friends knocked on the door and asked him to play, he said: "I'm sorry mates, I'm reading now."
Lupu Lupettu ma jħobbx jaqra is the perfect book for children who have still not engaged with reading. Lupu's journey - with the usual funny antics that he's always up to -will help them change their mind and look at books in a totally different way.
Lupu Lupettu has become possibly children's favourite Maltese book character, as each new Lupu title hits the bestseller charts. His trials and tribulations are the same as most children: he hates walking, he only loves to eat pasta, he thinks museums are boring, he wants to win all the time, which is what makes him a loveable character. Parents equally love him for the side-splitting wit of the plots and the gentle moral nudge at the end.
For this reason, Merlin Publishers regularly brings in new titles adding to the collection of the series in Maltese.
The Lupu Lupettu series has no fixed age: children from six years up will be able to read the book by themselves and parents can read it to younger children.
Lupu is the creation of young French author Orianne Lallemand - and the character was tried and tested on her five children before it went on to become a publishing phenomenon. Together with illustrator Eléonore Thuillier, stories of Le Loup with his trademark amusing eyes and bush tail sprang to life.
Merlin Publishers engaged award-winning Maltese author Clare Azzopardi as translator, and the result is one of the first superhero children's books in Maltese.
Lupu Lupettu ma jħobbx jaqra can be purchased from all leading bookshops or directly online from merlinpublishers.com
By Orianne Lallemand
Illustrated by Eléonore Thuillier
Translated to Maltese by Clare Azzopardi