Tistou, the Boy with the Green Fingers of Peace by Jack Zipes

Tistou, the Boy with the Green Fingers of Peace by Jack Zipes

Tistou is born into the wealthiest family of the town Sandstone. His father owns an armaments factory and makes his money from wars. Tistou lives in a mansion. He is home-schooled until he is eight-years-old, and when he is finally sent to the public school, he cannot stand the regimentation. So, his parents decide to have the business manager Mr. Turnbull and the gardener called Mr. Whiskers teach Tistou about the reality of life. However, it is Tistou who teaches them how to treat workers, prisoners, animals, and the environment because he has magical green thumbs. Indeed, he can transform everything and anything into flowers and plants, and he uses his powers to prevent his father from contributing to a war. His best friends are Mr. Whiskers and Gymnast the pony who support his environmental experiments. However, when Mr. Whiskers dies unexpectedly, Tistou becomes terribly sad. Alone, Tistou must go his own way, and he disappears from Sandstone.

Maurice Druon was a French resistance hero, a Knight of the British Empire and a holder of the Grand Croix de la Lü¾Ž–”¼gion d'Honneur. He was also a member of the Acadü¾Ž–”¼mie Franü¾¶”¼aise and a celebrated novelist, best known for his series of seven historical novels under the title of The Accursed Kings, which were twice adapted for television. A passionate Anglophile, he was a great expert on all things English, including its medieval history, which provides great inspiration for the series.