Remember the adventures of Fra Mudest? The much-loved Maltese children’s book character is getting a rebrand. Fra Mudest, the outgoing and jolly friar who somehow always manages to get himself into a pickle, is a household name in children’s literature on our islands. Whatever the generation, kids have heard of and read the Fra Mudest series.

The adventures of the friar, or as we say in Maltese praspar, is the work of Charles Casha, a well-known Maltese writer who first published the adventures as magazine short stores in 1967. Four years later, Fra Mudest was published as a book collection and became the first ever Maltese children’s book to be published in Malta.

Now, the chubby friar will be in the houses of children as young as seven as the series is given a make-over to suit younger readers. A new Merlin Publishers series will see Fra Mudest star in shorter series which have been simplified by Casha himself. Each book contains a short story of the friar’s hilarious adventures with a contained amount of text, perfect for young readers who are eager to get their hands on their next book.

The clumsy friar has also been given a facelift with new illustrations by Deandra Scicluna, who kept that retro 70s vibes we know and love, while also giving the characters a fresh look.

The first book in the series is ‘Fra Mudest u l-Figolla tal-Pirjol’