Franco and Pirata [Paperback]

Drew Bacigalupa (Author)

Book Description

Set against the historic and scenic backdrops of Rome, this picture-book tells the tale of Franco and his dog Pirata. When Pirata is lost during a flood in the Tiber, Franco experiences a crisis of faith, refuses to anticipate in the approach of Christmas. The boy's search for his beloved pet -- a veritable Carol -- illustrates the true spirit of Christmas. A book for all ages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... a gem of a story in the tradition of Paul Gallico and the Little Flowers of Saint Francis. -- Father Clifford Stevens, Prior, Tintern Monastery, endorsement back book cover.

...a book to be enjoyed by every member of the family. -- Helen Vanni, The Metropolitan Opera, endorsement back book cover

...a warm and skillfully told story. The setting is Rome, the Eternal City that Bacigalupa knows so well. -- Marvin L. Arrowsmith, Associated Press White House Correspondent, Eisenhower and Kennedy Adminstrations, endorsement back book cover

From the Author

I have visited Rome countless times in the past half century, know her and her citizens well, love the city, all its wondrous small neighborhoods as well as the famous historic sites. I set the story of "Franco and Pirata" against backgrounds known and not known to countless visitors to the Eternal City, confident that readers will find the locales themselves major characters in this story primarily centered on a boy and his lost dog. Written while in Rome, while I was immersed in the city and her fascinating people, the story grew from a chance encounter with an elderly lady on the steps of the Bernini colonnade in St Peter's Square, where both of us had stopped to rest. She spoke of Christmas, of children and of how one can lose faith in the season of expectations. A boy and his dog played in the piazza while we talked. And "Franco and Pirata" was born.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 46 pages
• Publisher: Pickwick Publications (October 27, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915138808
• ISBN-13: 978-0915138807
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,642,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Penning stories since he was a boy, Drew Bacigalupa was among prize-winners at age 10 for an entry to a newspaper writing contest open to all ages by The Baltimore Sun. As feature-editor of his weekly high-school paper The Collegian, he was member of a staff occasionally critiqued by Baltimore's celebrated man-of-letters H.L.Mencken. Following military service in England, Belgium, France and Germany, he was transferred at the end of hostilities in World War II from Germany to Biarritz American University, France. There, he earned Certificate for Excellence for studies in Creative Writing. In New Mexico, he wrote a popular weekly column in the Sunday supplement of The Santa Fe New Mexican; and over decades there, his numerous articles, prize-winning short stories and essays have been published in that paper as well as The Santa Fe Reporter. In 2002, he was awarded the LericiPea Foundation's "Ligure nel Mondo" prize in international poetry competition.

Resident of Santa Fe since 1954 with wife Ellen Williams Bacigalupa, Drew Bacigalupa was awarded the Mayor's Recognitiion for Excellence in the Arts 2007, and named a Santa Fe Living Treasure 2008, His writings continue to reflect his extensive travels, particularly in Italy, his consuming interest in all the arts, and his thematic probings of spiritual quests in secular societies.