Geronimo Stilton

So, a few weeks ago, while visiting a farm, I checked a little free library (LFL).

I chose a book, fascinated by it's unique illustrations, and brought it home. It was titled 'The Search for Treasure', by author Geronimo Stilton’. It was about the adventures of a mouse, a fantasy book. My kid loved it as I read it to her.

As I have mentioned before, it's one of the most beautifully-illustrated books. See for yourself — how the words are highlighted with colors and shapes symbolizing the trait of the words.

There are interesting pictures, too.

The book made me and the kid, laugh a lot. We all love things that amuse us, right? There are phrases in it, like “Ranger, the coyote of danger.” A witch says, she is tired of being evil.

Today, out of curiosity, I checked how the writer Geronimo Stilton looks like. I always do that. When I like the story, I want to know more about the writers. I feel curious to know, what inspired them to write a particular book!

To my surprise, I learned that Geronimo Stilton is actually a pen name for the writer Elisabetta Dami, an Italian female author.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have a special feeling for female writers. I try to support them. Maybe because I’m female, and we often face struggles in our careers.

In recent times, I have bought books by female authors like Jhumpa Lahiri, Joan Didion, Annie Proulx, Amy Tan, Elizabeth Gilbert, among others.

So, I was happy to know that I’m reading the work of another female writer. The world has made J.K. Rowling a billionaire. I want to promote other female writers too.

Anyway, let’s get back to Elisabetta Dami. I learned some interesting trivia about her.

Good things can come out of bad life experiences, right? Something like that happened with her.

This famous book series came out of her personal struggles with infertility. In the 90s, Dami found out that she can’t have children. To be around kids, she started volunteering in a pediatric hospital. I must say, it's a commendable way to find purpose and resolve unfulfilled goals.

She heard about a physician, Patch Adams, who dressed as a clown to bring smiles to sick children. Inspired by this, Dami began writing children’s stories that were funny, adventurous, and full of good values.

Her protagonist was a shy and clumsy mouse: Geronimo Stilton. He is a journalist and publisher of The Rodent's Gazette.

The book series has been published in 49 different languages and has sold 180 million copies worldwide. In her own words, that’s how she became the ‘mother’ of millions of children. (I got goosebumps as I read this!)

She’s also a real globetrotter. She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Arica, trekked in Nepal, ran a marathon in the Sahara Desert. She has run for New York City marathons, and done parachute jumps. I guess, that's why she packs lots of adventures in her books.

How fascinating people live on this earth!

I hope you enjoyed reading about her. I am sure glad to stumble upon the Geronimo Stilton book. I learned that a movie is set to release this year based on the Geronimo Stilton saga. I hope the movie will familiarize audiences with Elisabetta Dami’s work and broaden her readership.

Have you heard about her, or her work? I believe, she deserves more recognition.

Note: A version of this story was originally published in Medium.