Customer Reviews

Angelo

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3 star:		(1)
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This restoration was to be Angelo's crowning glory, his masterpiece, and as he begins his work on the old church, brushing away years of debris left by birds, and searching the nooks and crannies for cracks that would need repair, he comes across a sick and injured pigeon. Angelo was not a fan of pigeons, after all they made a mess of his buildings, but he couldn't bear to leave this helpless, "barely breathing" creature to die, So he scoops her up in his hat and takes her home. There he names her Sylvia, nurses her back to health, and they become devoted to each other. As time goes by, Angelo grows older and tires easily, and he worries that he won't be able to finish his "crowning achievement". Sylvia works by his side every day, cooing her encouragement, fanning him with her wings in the hot weather, and entertaining him when he rests. And on a warm November day "Angelo finally applied the last coat of stucco to the cherubs in the high pediment." But he still has one more task to finish before his work is complete..... David Macaulay has authored a captivating and poignant picture book about an unusual and enduring friendship. His gentle text is beautifully enhanced by his evocative and expressive illustrations, full of charm, humor, and marvelous architectural detail. Together word and art tell a heartwarming and endearing story of a life fulfilled by dedication to work and special companionship. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Angelo is told with great insight and wisdom, and makes a terrific read aloud story the entire family can share.

Each day at work I have to read the new picturebooks that have been proccessed. I dislike few of them. I enjoy most of them. I love very few of them...especially on first perusal. "Angelo" is one of the very few.

It's the story of the unlikely friendship between a master plasterer (Angelo) and a pigeon he dubs Sylvia. He finds her wounded on the ledge of a building he is restoring & takes her in despite his negative opinions of birds. (The pigeon hospital bed he rigs up for her is wonderful). She flies off after convalescing...only to return when he needs companionship to see him to the end of his last great job. In thanks, he creates a tribute to her...a tribute only he could create & one only a pigeon could appreciate.

The story is heartwarming, but the pictures are silly, cinematic, and inspired. This is a treat to read (for young and old) and it is my pick (so far) for Caldecott 2002...

All of David Macaulay's books are wonderful, and this is no expection. One note of caution, though...I teach elementary school and read this book to a number of students. The story deals with death at the end, and this lead to some sad comments and discussion. Should be prepared to talk about death or loss of a loved one. This is would be a perfect book to deal with that topic.

I saw an exhibition of David Macaulay at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY, in July 2007 and was totally in awe of his talent. He is such a fantastic Illustrator and has a wonderful sense of humor. Until then I did not know anything about him, but after the exhibition I went to Amazon and bought 6 of his books. In addition to his brillant architecture/construction books like Castle, Mosque, Pyramid, and fascinating technical "how to" books ie. The New Way Things Work, he's also written some amazing stories for kids. This is one of them and I really love this one:

The story is about the friendship between old Angelo, who works on restoring the outside of an old church in Rome, and a pigeon, that he rescues. Angelo reluctantly warms up to the pigeon as he nurses her back to health. But soon he embraces and enjoys their one-of-a-kind and caring friendship as the pigeon, called Sylvia, decides to stays with Angelo. We accompany this unlikely couple for many months, through various seasons, as Angelo is finishing his work at the church. We witness cute and silly little scenes as Angelo plays the pigeon's favorite music and holds headphones to her ears during her convalescence, Sylvia and her pigeon friends dancing in front of Angelo during lunch to cheer him up. However, Angelo is becoming weaker and weaker and we feel with Sylvia as she shows great concern for his health and well being. Although Angelo eventually dies, the story ends on a happy note: the pigeon continues to live in a special nest that Angelo created for her out of stucco at the top of the church and David tells it with lots of humor and great sensitivity.

Beautifully illustrated, this story tells of enduring love. Simply heartwarming, touching, uplifting. A delight to read to your kids, but I bet, you yourself will want to read it again and again and again.

A very touching story. It reminds me the words in Bible,"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails."

It's an excellent storybook for readers of all ages!! I gave this book for my students to read and they loved it very much.

Readers beaware! This paperback version of Angelo is VERY different from the hardcover version of Angelo. The illustration sometimes gets cut off i.e. the hat of Angelo is cut off on the cover, the back art is so much smaller as compared to the hardcover version. The layout of the illustration has changed as well, so it reads very oddly as well. The printing quality has suffered so some of the colors didn't turn out as nicely either.

Though the story stays the same, there is NO comparison between the paperback and hardcover, if you appreciate what David Macaulay did with the illustration.

This goes to the return.

I have to fight back the tears every time I read this - you'll love the Angelo character. My boys, now 4 and 9 have loved it for years. I bought it for my bird-loving aunt and she and her young grandkids enjoy it every time. We also have a passion for all things Italian so we love to see Angelo work on the churches in some Italian city and drive his tiny "ape" into the countryside.

Its such a simple sweet story--of the relationship of the old man and the pidgeon--still so old world in feeling and simplicity about a friendship!!! It made me shed a tear!!! Brenda Momente NYC