I suppose when we’re in the pits of despair, we all try to search for a glimmer of hope. For Gattaldo, an artist based in London, it was his eight-year-old niece who kindled that flicker. She overheard him and her mother talk about how Daphne - a close friend of his - had been killed. “Who is your friend Daphne?” she asked him.

At that moment he knew he had to write a book so that children would be able to understand who Daphne was, and how fearless she was. This book is, therefore, born out of the tragedy of an injustice and out of a strong bond of friendship. And this is reflected on each and every page.

The book starts from the very beginning: Daphne as a child. Through beautiful, quir­ky, watercolour illustrations in a spectrum of pastel hues, we see Daphne with her friends by the St Julian’s seafront; then with her father telling her a bedtime story; and then happily throwing confetti at a village festa. All things that chil­dren will easily identify with.

Gattaldo’s perceptive drawings are accompanied by short, candid sentences. This is a considerable skill and the mark of a good children’s author: the writing is simple, and yet the readers are not being talked down to. Each and every spread advocates love, and at the same time brings to life the childhood of a woman who many thought of as merely a name, or an acronym of that name.

There is a subtle change in the undertones of the book when it depicts the grown-up Daphne; Daphne the journalist. The colours become more subdued, more earthy. The author clearly explains what the job of a journalist is meant to be: “Daphne was not afraid to uncover wrongdoing. This is what a good journalist does.”

“She did not flinch,” he writes, “even when her enemy was powerful and mighty”, and the point is made even stronger with the dramatic illustration of Daphne brandishing a sword in front of criminals depicted in Hydra formation. You know that if she cuts off one head, two more will grow, but you also know that nothing was going to stop her.

With Fearless, Gattaldo shows us that from the ashes of Daphne’s assassination, we can all find hope in the young generation

“Her enemies responded with threats,” he writes, and here, the author, with the child reader in mind, even includes a little detail: Messalina, Daphne’s dog, was killed to discourage her from revealing more. I thought it very touching that the poignant image of an arson attack is delicately balanced with the image of Daphne perched on top of a tree, notebook in hand. It shows her at one with nature; embraced by it. It encourages children to realise that when we are truly in touch with nature, we feel passionate about our world.

Perhaps the only thing missing in the book is that it does not show how Daphne was killed. There is no visual transition between her working life, and the sudden reference to her in the past. I understand that it can be quite a dilemma for an author-illustrator. How do you explain to children the ugly, evil side of human nature?

However, I tend to believe that children need to know that life is not a Disney happy-ever-after; and there is nothing like the safe world of illustrated books to help them to come to terms with that.

Gattaldo makes up for the omission by including a parent-friendly section of ‘extra facts’ at the back, with real photos and a profile of Daphne’s life. He leaves it up to parents and guardians to decide how to tackle the horror part.

Fearless is a book that will undoubtedly lodge in the minds of its readers whatever their age. Its sense of beauty in itself is something which encompasses Daphne – she was an aestheticist above all.

The book’s main theme is one: that it’s okay to be principled and to strive for truth, and it’s okay to fight for what you believe in, because that can only make the world a better place.

Gattaldo plans for Fearless to be the first in a series about journalists who have been a catalyst of change with their work. I hope he succeeds. For artworks like these not only expose children to the beauty of art and books, but also inspire them to follow in the footsteps of the protagonists.

With Fearless, Gattaldo shows us that from the ashes of Daphne’s assassination,we can all find hope in the young generation.