Spirito Splendido, is a humorous look at life from a precocious child's perspective as she grows up in 1940's New York while her father is away during the war years. Grandfather is in the Mafia, matriarchal grandmother rules the household, and glamorous Mom dreams of the day her husband will return and reunite the family. The rude awakening comes when this Marine comes home and moves his family from the glamour of New York to Camp Lejeune, where daily life includes military discipline, chopping wood for the stove, and making new friends. But through it all, the Sauter family's creativity flourishes and they impact the lives of all they touch. This book of vignettes is a must for all ages and a new primer on how to raise the precocious, creative child.