This is a brand new book by Gozitan author/illustrator Denise Muscat. In this book readers will meet a local middle-aged woman who has a passion for picking and preserving capers.

Kelina keeps her annual custom of foraging capers before summer starts. She rises at dawn and hand picks the capers from the fields and valleys nearby. Following her grandmother’s recipe, she preserves the capers in brine. Her small stall at the market attracts a lot of customers.

Capers are the unopened flower buds of the caper plant (Capparis spinosa), a bushy shrub that thrives in Malta’s Mediterranean climate. The plant grows wild across Malta and Gozo with their drooping branches adapting perfectly to the island’s rocky terrain. They line the rubble walls and rock edges of local valleys.

The caper plant produces beautiful flowers. The white delicate petals and pink-purple stamens bloom briefly, lasting just a single day. The flowers open in the afternoon, with peak pollination occurring around sunset. The plant uses insects to pollinate it and birds to help spread its seeds.

Capers are a quintessential ingredient in Maltese and Mediterranean cuisine. These tiny, tangy delights add a burst of flavour to countless traditional dishes.

This book for children is in Maltese and written in verse. Each page is fully digitally illustrated depicting local scenes and patterns inspired by the beautiful caper flower.

The book was published in December 2025 by Klabb Kotba Maltin with the help of the National Literacy Agency. It is Denise Muscat’s second book for children, her first was published in 2024.

The book is specially dedicated to Maria Muscat.

The book can be found in local bookshops.

Photos: Denise Muscat

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