Fausta Cialente was an Italian novelist, journalist, and political activist. Her early work explored bold themes, such as a lesbian relationship, which led to censorship from the Fascist regime. Cialente refused to compromise, and her books were not reprinted, though they did find an audience in French translation. Throughout her career, she actively opposed Fascism through her writings and radio broadcasts.
Extensive reading improves fluency and there is a real need in the ELT classroom for motivating, graded material that will instantly appeal to low-level students. This well-known children's classic by Louisa May Alcott is made accessible to students in this simplified adaptation.