Bantam of the Opera [Hardcover]

Mary Jane Auch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

Luigi the rooster wins fame and fortune when the star of the Cosmopolitan Opera Company and his understudy both come down with chicken pox on the same night.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2 Up. When a farmer and his wife decide to see a touring production of Rigoletto, they are not aware that Luigi the singing rooster has hitched a ride in the back of their truck. It's a one-way trip for Luigi, who becomes so enamored of the opera that he decides to stay. His singing enrages the famous tenor Enrico Baldini, but the feisty fowl cannot contain his joy. Auch's richly colored illustrations fill the pages, suiting the opera motif to a tee. Luigi, like Auch's other poultry stars, becomes a real character, overflowing with emotional turmoil, bursting with song, a great tenor in the making. The text, brimming with jokes, puns, and alliteration, compounds the delicious humor of the artwork. Shower singers will have a ball sharing this book in storytime. It will bring down the house with every repeat performance.?Ann Cook, Winter Park Public Library, FL
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823413128
• ISBN-13: 978-0823413126
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,089,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Luigi the rooster wants to sing opera instead of crowing, June 17, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bantam of the Opera (Hardcover)

Luigi might have been hatched a bantam rooster, but he clearly has the soul of a great musician who is quickly bored crowing the same old thing every morning. The head rooster disapproves of such showing off, so Luigi goes off farther a field each day so he can sing what he wants without being heard. That is how he first happens to hear the opera music coming from the radio inside the farmer's house. Every day Luigi sings along with the operas on the radio and learns his favorite aria, "La donna e mobile" from "Rigoletto," by heart. Then comes the wonderful day that the radio announced that the Cosmopolitan Opera Company was coming to the local city for three performances of "Rigoletto," and when the farmer and his wife head to the city Luigi slips into the back of their truck.

Of course, Luigi wants to do more than just see the opera, he wants to sing along, and the chief fun in "Bantam of the Opera" is finding out how he is going to get his chance to be an opera star (the solution is something that comes naturally, in a manner of speaking, to chickens). This picture book for young readers is written and illustrated by Mary Jane Auch, who has done other books featuring extremely talented chickens, such as "Hen Lake" and "Peeping Beauty." That last one is obviously the most likely of this particular trio of titles where young readers will instantly recognize the original source material that Auch is fowling, er, I mean, fooling around with. But if these other books lead young readers to check out an opera or a ballet, this would not be a bad thing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner of my "Cool Title" Award!, September 19, 2002

By 

TundraVision (o/~ from the Land of Sky Blue Waters o/~) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bantam of the Opera (Hardcover)

Luigi, the barnyard bantam rooster, is bored with plain old "Cock-a-doodle-do." He has aspirations of arias. His favorite is "La donna è mobile" from *Rigoletto.* He loves singing it: "Cock-a-la- DOOdle-lay! Cock-a-la-DOOdle-low!" and he may have his shot at becoming a contender, if the Opera's jealous tenor doesn't carry through with his threat to carve him into cacciatore!

This is fun book for all, richly enhanced by the author's vibrant illustrations.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something for everyone...., July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bantam of the Opera (Hardcover)

Colorful, funny something for everyone; but if you're an adult who enjoys opera, you'll get extra delight in reading this book to a little one. If you not an opera buff you'll still enjoy the story and art work!