Nello

Nello is two-years-old when his mother passes away and he is sent to live with his 80-year-old grandfather, Jehan, in a small village outside Antwerp. Although Jehan is very poor and Nello often goes hungry, he loves his grandfather and is a good child with a pure heart. One day, while walking with his grandfather, they come across Patrasche, who has been starved, dehydrated, and beaten into a coma. Jehan and Nello take Patrasche home to their small hut and spend the next few weeks nursing him back to health. Nello covers the dog in flowers and kisses him to make him feel better. Once the dog recovers, he and Nello become the best of friends.

Nello is only six when he must take over pulling his grandfather’s cart back and forth between his village and Antwerp because Jehan becomes can no longer manage the journey. Nello...