Foggy Hollow’s Mysteries. The strange case of the flying umbrellas

In Foggy Hollow, a village in the woods, impossible things happen more often than anyone would expect.
The people who live there swear it’s the quietest place in the world. But then an umbrella takes flight on a windless evening, a clock decides to run backward, an echo stops answering—and the peace never lasts as long as it should.

Each mystery sets the whole village in motion: a badger detective obsessed with measurements, a hedgehog explorer who curls into a ball at the first sign of trouble, a guinea pig baker convinced every problem can be solved with a cookie, a fox who knows everything about everyone, a tunnel-expert mole, a librarian hiding unexpected talents, a watchmaker with unfailingly precise fingers, a gardener who talks to plants, and an old postman guarding letters that were never delivered…

Some investigate with a tape measure, others with a plate of cookies. And that’s exactly how mysteries are solved in Foggy Hollow.

These early readers move with the pace of a detective story, the warmth of an ensemble tale, and a gentle humor that carries through every page. Unforgettable characters and richly detailed illustrations filled with clues make you want to return to Foggy Hollow the moment you turn the last page.

The strange case of flying umbrellas

On a windless evening, the umbrellas take flight in Foggy Hollow. For Mr. Finn, an amateur detective always armed with a monocle, a tailor’s measuring tape, and a notebook, it is an absolutely impossible event. So during an emergency meeting, Mr. Finn shows the villagers – with his charts and measurements – this strange phenomenon. But it soon becomes clear that the umbrellas are not flying by coincidence: each one delivers a delicate origami bearing a message written by someone who watches everyone with very attentive eyes. A gear found beneath the street lamps, the scent of chestnut cookies in the night, and a light that should not be on, guide Mr. Finn and his friends to the library—and to a truth no chart could ever have predicted.

A story about those who know how to watch in silence and find a way to say: I see you, you are special

Publication: October 2026

Author & Illustrator 

Marina Cremonini

Born in Bologna, a former agronomist and former yoga teacher, she is a watercolorist and self-taught illustrator. For many years she has worked across various areas of the publishing industry (food, travel, botanical illustration, and in recent years mainly picture books and children’s illustration). Nature—along with her vegetable garden—is her primary source of inspiration, together with a good glass of wine. Whenever she can, she escapes to the Apennines to meet wild animals, gather medicinal plants, and paint the passing of the seasons from life. Among others, she’s published by Edizioni Del Baldo, Panidon, Rizzoli, Ape Junior, Electa Kids, Ed. Terra Santa, Rose Selavy, Mondadori, Nouriturfu.

Oana Ardelean
By day she works in textile research; by night she invents stories. She has always written, but it took her daughters to convince her that the adventures told aloud could keep other children company too. In 2024, her first illustrated book, Se io fossi una nuvola, was published by Edizioni Piuma. Three new titles will follow in 2026. She lives in the province of Mantua. A caravan is parked in her garden, always ready for the next journey.