The illustrations of this picture book are expressive and rich in color and details.  The story is about a little white stray cat named Nini who comes to beg a scrap at a little Italian cafe in the 1890’s.  At first, the owner Nonna has nothing to offer the cat until Verdi comes in for a coffee and to work on his opera.  Nini inspires Verdi with just the right note and Nini’s fame takes flight.  The little cafe becomes busy and is visited by famous people including the king and queen of Italy, the pope and the emperor of Ethiopia.  Nini helps them all (of course) and lives happily ever after with Nonna.  In the Author’s note in the back of the book, the author explains that there was a little white stray cat in Venice in the 1890’s who became famous and was visited by many celebrities of the day, including those mentioned above.  The author’s imagination filled in the details of these visits in a whimsical and entertaining way.