A large family on a small street

Author: Eve Ganivet
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Nilo is an orphan who lives with his elderly grandfather, struggling through poverty and relying on selling milk for a living. By chance, they adopt a mistreated large dog named Patch, and a touching story between Nilo and the big dog unfolds. To help the family, Patch pulls their cart every day, accompanying Nilo to the city. Despite his poverty, Nilo possesses extraordinary artistic talent and dreams of becoming a great painter like Rubens. Nilo deeply loves a beautiful girl named Alois, whose father is the wealthiest person in the village and refuses to let her marry someone as poor as him. Humiliated by pride, Nilo tries to keep his distance from Alois, often hiding in a small shed to meticulously create his best works, preparing to participate in the juvenile painting competition in Antwerp City in December and win the championship. However, misfortune strikes one after another; his grandfather falls seriously ill, making their lives even harder, and a fire breaks out in the village, with everyone suspecting Nilo of being the arsonist. In the midst of poverty and snowstorms, his grandfather passes away, and as they cannot afford rent, the landlord demands Nilo leave the small shack they call home. On the eve of Christmas, only the aging Patch remains by his side, wandering the streets in despair.