Book cover and design ideation for a book series "Viaggi Straordinari" for Book on a Tree.

"Maydala Express" by Pierdomenico Baccalario and Davide Morosinotto

In the dark recesses of the immense railway station of the Gray City, there is a 10-year-old girl with dirty overalls and a strange hat. Her name is Finally, and she has never left there: she works as a cleaning lady, but secretly collects postcards and photographs that travelers throw away, and secretly dreams of becoming a train mechanic and seeing the world. One day, Finally finds a piece of paper in her pocket with fluttering writings: it's a ticket for the Maydala Express, a train surrounded by mysteries. The Maydala Express is the last specimen of the Extraordinary Travel Company, tiny, forged by the Prodigious Society of Independent Gear Mechanics, it's a perfect train, a legend, a fairy tale for travelers. Yet, Finally has a real ticket in her pocket. It could be a great adventure; it is said that the Maydala Express has no set route, and that only the greatest travelers of all time reach the final stop, Chissàdove, the Farthest Station in the World. If you are curious and eager for an Extraordinary Journey, if you need a vacation, if it's raining outside and the sea is far away, you can go with Finally. The train leaves tomorrow at noon. Look for Platform 1001 of the Grand Gray Station. There will also be other strange passengers. The conductor with his "oblivionator" awaits you.