The original narrative was created by Gustavo’s son, Milo, then 4 years old. And it was not, at first, destined to become a book. In fact, in the beginning it wasn’t even a story, since Milo did not invent Nanão as a character: one day, he decided that no matter what his father asked him, he would only answer “no”. The stubbornness was turned into a play and, since then, it has become a frequent game between the two – including with inverted roles. The initial drawings, both of the main character and most of the scenarios and objects, were also made almost entirely by Milo. (Although in many of them, Nanão appears on fire). This free mix of tasks between father and son would become the basis for the entire process of developing the book, ranging from suggestions for changing the plot and the character’s own name to the release videos of the book launch, made in October 2020 by Editora Pulo do Gato.

The ultra-synthetic geometric structure, drawn manually with a yellow marker, made many readers try to “fit” Nanão in familiar animal species – for some it was a dog, for others a robot. Oblivious to these attempts at framing, the charismatic character also became a toy: wooden and fabric dolls, as well as a paper version that anyone can print and assemble at home.