A great event is underway in the village of the pomegranate, but suddenly winter comes with its snow, and …

The village of the pomegranate was first publishe in 1974 as volume 39 of the “Tantibambini” series, edited by Bruno Munari, that proposed “New fables, simple yet fantastic tales, some of which are even incredible even though without witches, wizards or princes. Not-so-famous or vene unknown stories that tell us of mums and kid from all over the world.”

The author of this story is Aoi Kono who was born in Japan and that today lives in a small village on top of a hill on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Her house is surrounded by a large garden with lots of bamboo and two pomegranate trees. One only flowers but the other also bears plenty of fruit. When summer approaches the plants are filled with flowers of a vibrant orange. Towards September, on the branches the flowers turn into bulging fruits. Together with her cat, who has red fur and is named Saturday, Aoi likes to watch them mature. In winter, when the tree has lost its leaves and the fruit has fallen, Aoi keeps some dried pomegranates in a basket: Saturday uses them to play with, and so, together, they chase away the gloom while waiting for the next summer ...

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