Publisher's Synopsis
Constantinople, late 19th century. Inside the City Zoo in a small house lives the twelve-year-old Orpheus with his grandfather, Benedict. Orpheus loves animals and at the same time exerts his talent in music. But he has a secret charisma: he can talk to the animals! Meanwhile the garden manager will hold a conference where Orpheus will meet the Greek Nicolas Germanos, the man who organizes the first zoo in Athens. One day war will be declared and Istanbul will be besieged by its enemies. Hunger will reap the inhabitants. Those people desperate as they are planning on Christmas Day to invade the zoo in order to slaughter the poor animals and eat them. Orpheus knows that and informs his grandfather and his friends, the animals. Together they will take the big decision: Orpheus will try to rescue the youngest of the animals. On Christmas Eve, he will escape in the countryside using some secret passes under the zoo. Earlier, however, he has alerted Nikolaos Germanos in Athens. He has promised to wait for him with a ship on a remote and deserted beach. An amazing story, a unique hymn to the friendship between a child and animals!
