Lyrical, magical, tender and true - Michael Morpurgo Madurer is the son of a great lord, with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air.

He is confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, but his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real.

As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship.

How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with?

Glowrushes is a heartbreakingly beautiful classic of Italian children's literature, published here in English for the first time.