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The tale of Qrempuċu, the little mouse who sets off on an adventure-packed journey in search of Cheese Town, has been republished and the book is now on sale in all leading bookshops.
Qrempuċu f’Belt il-Ġobon (Qrempuċu goes to Cheese Town), penned by Trevor Żahra, was first published in 1985. It sold out and was reprinted again in 1991. This is the third edition of the classical, timeless tale, featuring the mischievous Qrempuċu – a mouse so determined to find cheese, that no obstacle will stop him, even if they’re in the shape of terribly fearsome rats.
Qrempuċu is not on his own for this journey... he has his son Qrempuċellu in tow. But he is a very reluctant travel companion as he cannot understand his father’s fuss about cheese and would rather stay home, in their damp nest, struggling to find morsels of food.
Qrempuċu first appeared in in Ħrejjef minn Wied Peprina (Tales from Poppy Valley) which Żahra had written for television. “But then he took a life of his own, and ended up starring in his own book,” said Żahra.
More than 10,000 households have a copy of this timeless classic and Merlin Publishers director, Chris Gruppetta, believes that children who will discover Qrempuċu today will love him just as much as those who read his tale 30 years ago.
“My generation grew up with it and what makes it more special is that Qrempuċu and his buddies feature in various different books – what we would today term ‘spin-offs’. Qrempuċu has been absent from our publishing list for a few years now and I couldn’t let more time pass without bringing him back in where he belongs,” Gruppetta said, describing Qrempuċu as one of the few “true Maltese children’s classics”.
The new edition of the book includes illustrations by brothers Mark and Nicholas Caruana, who created the 3D film Qrempuċu for the big screen. The short animated feature was screened in cinemas at Christmas time, alongside the Disney film The Good Dinosaur.
The feature served as a preview to the actual Qrempuċu f’Belt il-Ġobon, a full-length, 3D film which is in production stage and will be out in a few years’ time.
Qrempuċu f’Bert il-Ġobon is available from all bookshops or online.
www.merlinpublishers.com