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Summary
Summary
High above the rooftops of Rome, Angelo begins his work restoring the façade of a once glorious church. As with every project, he starts his final masterpiece by clearing away the years of debris left behind by the many pigeons who nest in the nooks and crannies of Rome's great architecture. There, among the sticks and feathers, he discovers a wounded bird. Finding no safe place to leave her, Angelo becomes the bird's reluctant savior.
As the church nears completion, Angelo begins to worry about the future of his aviary friend. "What will become of you? Where will you go . . . where will you . . . live?" he asks her. Realizing what he must do, Angelo returns to the church to add one final finishing touch. Through his artistry as a master craftsman he answers the questions about his humble friend and assures that he will not be forgotten.
With his expressive illustrations, filled with detail and humor and infused with the warm, terra-cotta glow of the Mediterranean, David Macaulay will once again capture his readers' hearts and imaginations with this poignant story of enduring friendship.
Author Notes
David Macaulay was born on December 2, 1946 in Lancashire, England, but moved to Bloomfield, New Jersey when he was 11. He received a bachelor's degree in architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Before becoming an author and illustrator, he worked as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and instructor of interior design at RISD from 1969 to 1973.
His first book, Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction, was published in 1973. His other books include City, Castle, Pyramid, Mill, Underground, Mosque, The Way Things Work, Rome Antics, Shortcut,and How Machines Work. He has received numerous awards including a Caldecott Honor Medal in 1991 for Black and White and the Washington Children's Book Guild Award for a Body of Non-Fiction Work in 1977. He won the Royal Society young people¿s book prize for the best science books for children for his book How Machines Work.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-Despite his "professional dislike" of pigeons, a master craftsman at work restoring stucco on the facade of a church discovers an injured bird and takes it home to nurse. When the pigeon, Sylvia, recovers, she devotes herself to helping the old man complete his task, for age is slowing him down; she "coos encouragement," and she cools his brow in summer. With his crowning masterpiece completed, Angelo can die in peace, but not before he makes some final provisions for his feathered friend. Macaulay's watercolor illustrations provide a cornucopia of surprises, architectural details, and humorous touches. Aerial views allow readers to see the red roofs and numerous church domes of Rome with Angelo as he labors on his scaffolding. There are also some delightfully droll scenes, such as a depiction of the old man hanging upside down while at work, of the bird and her companions forming a chorus line to entertain him at lunch, and of the friends' conflicting views of what a perfect church facade looks like. Although the two part in death, there is enough humor here to relieve the sadness and make this a charming story of an improbable friendship.-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Despite his "professional dislike" for birds, an elderly plasterer named Angelo reluctantly carries home an injured pigeon he comes across while restoring the exterior of a church. "I restore walls, not pigeons," he grumbles, but an unlikely friendship springs up between the two as he nurses Sylvia (his new pet) back to health. Later, she returns the favor when she sees that her benefactor moves a bit more slowly, she sticks around to "coo encouragement" as he presses on with his work, fanning him with her wings on hot days and entertaining him at lunchtime. Seasoned artist Macaulay (Building Big; Rome Antics) knows how to get the most humor out of his illustrations, both in the finer details (Angelo and Sylvia sporting matching red scarves in winter) and the broader strokes (as Angelo tells Sylvia of the church's restoration as his "crowning achievement," he imagines the building's faeade glimmering in glory, while she imagines pigeons perching on every available surface). He thus balances the melancholy elements of the tale with moments of lightness. Angelo's swan song to Sylvia is especially poignant. Macaulay's artwork conveys respect for Angelo's talent and commitment, and the artist wedges a good deal of architecture and sculpture into his watercolors. Though the setting goes unnamed, the rust-colored tile roofs, domed churches and other details make it clear that readers have been whisked to Italy. All ages. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) In a leisurely story that affords Macaulay ample opportunity to portray the alleys and architecture of Rome from a rich variety of vantage points, an old plasterer who's repairing the exterior of a Renaissance church befriends a pigeon-a bird that wouldn't ordinarily be welcomed by one of Angelo's vocation. This pigeon, however, is "barely breathing"; and though Angelo grumps, "I restore walls, not pigeons," he tenderly nurses the bird back to health, shares his pasta with her, and takes her to the country on his day off. After a period of independence in the piazza, the recovered pigeon returns to the old man, now failing, and in her way she cares for him, keeping him company and doing her best to amuse him. Angelo's last act is to build "Sylvia" a beautifully fashioned nest of stucco, high among the cherubs on the church façade: a permanent home for his dear friend. The events are the more touching because, like old Angelo, Macaulay avoids sentimentality by focusing less on the loving relationship than on other features of these interlinked lives: on Angelo's dedication to his work; on the mechanics of healing the pigeon (like Leonardo, Angelo keeps a sketchbook full of ideas); on the pigeon festooned in linguine; and on the comical horrors of city traffic. In Macaulay's freely rendered pen and ink and watercolor art, some of the humorous flights of fancy are a bit inscrutable, but no matter. The offbeat friendship is charming, there are entertaining details to discover throughout the book, and the grand old city is evoked in all her bustle and luminosity. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Macaulay (Building Big, not reviewed, etc.), master of multiple perspectives, takes a tender turn in his latest work, set upon the stucco of a venerable old church. Angelo, an aging, all-business artisan, is inspecting every nook and cranny of each and every ledge when he happens upon a frail descendant of one of the "generations of thoughtless pigeons" who have besmirched the beautiful building facade he is to restore. Angelo is determined to dispose of this nuisance, just as soon as she is restored to some semblance of strength. Grudgingly, but with great care, he creates a sort of Rube Goldberg clinic for the bird, who thrives on Angelo's attention and quickly becomes his constant companion. The unlikely friendship formed between the solitary stucco artist and Sylvia, a sort of fine-feathered vaudevillian, seems to fill chinks and crannies of a very different kind. All about accommodation and alternating points of view, this story is a carefully constructed balance of sympathy and silliness. Macaulay's trusty technical pen is tempered with a palette of earthen watercolors kissed with golden ochre. Angelo's rounded countenance and the pastoral aspects of his world are conveyed with a naive fluidity in contrast to the edges and angles of Macaulay's more architectural renderings. Tile-shaped text boxes are aptly placed to provide the proper vantage point from which to read the pictures. From the dizzying heights of stories-high scaffolding to the worn stones of the local piazza, from Sylvia's sideshow shenanigans to the intimate glimpse into hard-working Angelo's lonely life, this up-close-and-personal, touching tale may be just as important as Cathedral, if not as grand. (Picture book. 5-9)
Booklist Review
Gr. K^-3. Angelo is an architectural restorer living in a venerable Italian city. Sylvia is the wounded pigeon he meets high on the scaffolding at work. Angelo brings Sylvia home and nurses her back to health, and the two develop a deep friendship. When healed, Sylvia heads off on her own, but she returns to watch Angelo work and, eventually, to cheer him on as he completes his final, most difficult project. Macaulay handles elderly Angelo's death at the end with grace and poignant reminders that friendship endures. The warm, offbeat story of camaraderie and nurturing is told in subtly humorous, succinct text, but it's Macaulay's winning illustrations that steal the show. They catch the growing bond between the recalcitrant artist and his exuberant bird and the pleasure of satisfying work--set against shifting perspectives of chaotic street scenes, angled rooftops, and the majestic domes of a glorious city. A story-hour group able to handle a quiet, contemplative story will enjoy this, but they'll have to crowd up close to catch the humor and detail in the pictures. --Gillian Engberg