The stories, which were written from the perspective of a seven-year-old girl named Celia Gálvez de Montalbán, narrated the life of the protagonist living in Madrid with her family.

Celia, who was an extremely popular character from her first appearance through the 1960s,[1] was characterized as a girl who often questioned the world around her in ways that were both ingenuous and innocent.

The novel was followed by several sequels through the 1930s and the 1950s, the last one published in 1987,[2][3] thirty-five years after the death of the author.

The series were both popular and successful during the time following their publication and are today considered classics of Spanish literature.

The first three novels were adapted for television in 1992, in a series produced by José Luis Borau entitled Celia, which starred Cristina Cruz Mínguez in the title role.