Vito, a hunting hound who lives in the city and is apt to fall in love with cats when he’s out on a walk, is a perennial delight to his human, Fabiana Angelini, who was inspired by him to create this series bursting with humor and tenderness, targeted at young readers ages 3 and up.

 

"Vito’s not the kind of dog to shake hands. Instead, he brings cheer to one and all when they cross his path. There’s no better word to describe this little dog with a big smile who—it’s incredible but true—is always happy: very, very happy, in fact."

 

In The Big Sluuurprise, his day gets off to a great start again with a giant pizza for breakfast. But the mood takes a turn for the worse when he runs into his friend Rudy, a wee gray schnauzer who woke up on the wrong side of the bed and thinks life is plain awful. To change his mind, Vito decides to show him a secret spot… and the adventure begins! Not everything goes without a hitch, of course: they lose their way, a gutter comes crashing down, and there’s the matter of a paw “bent out of shape as a banged-up old nail"… but nothing stops Vito, for he has what is most wonderful and important in life: tons of friends! Starting with Wawa, a very stylish chihuahua who divides his time between Ibiza, New York, and Paris, and who’ll lend Vito his cherry red convertible at the drop of a hat.

 

"Children adore Vito’s misadventures, which always turn out well. Through this character, I try ti promote such values as tolerance, optimism, and friendship—between animals of different species," Fabiana Angelini explains. To bring this series to life, she teamed up with illustrator Maria Guitart and children’s writer Capucine Lewalle, well-known in France for her feature and animation screenplays.

Published by Casterman since 2023, the series has been favorably hailed by the press, readers, and Instagrammers alike. Thanks to this enthusiasm, Vito the Feel-Good Dog has already been translated into Spanish, Catalan, Italian, and Simplified Chinese… and it’s a good bet Vito’s just getting started!

Katja Petrovic
March 2025