Matita HB is an enthusiastic and lively ten-year-old girl who has a knack for personifying everything. A school test becomes a dragon to be vanquished, a lack of gratitude becomes a jaguar to be tamed, tomatoes have

feelings, and when she says ‘the emperor has no clothes’, the emperor really has no clothes! Through creative writing, Matita has found a way to channel her own emotions and explore those of others. Like an ‘emotional detective’, she searches for the real reasons behind everyday problems, because when she and her friends face a new situation, they usually react instinctively: they fight, flee or freeze in the face of it, making the situation worse and creating an emotional stalemate. With the help of friends, such as Nora and Muzio, or mentors like Clarissa Queen, Matita’s favourite comic-book artist, the initial emotion is understood, and

creative ideas are found to tackle the difficult situation.