Rome Antics [Hardcover]

David Macaulay (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A pigeon carrying an important message takes the reader on a unique tour through Rome. As we follow the path of this somewhat wayward bird, we discover that Rome is a place where past and present live side by side. It is a city that has been recycling itself for two thousand years, but unlike a museum, Rome displays its remarkable history without respect for chronology. A new electric bus travels over cobblestone streets just ten feet above the floor of an ancient stadium. Inscriptions from tombs and temples share wall space with neon. Every time a corner is turned there is a surprise, just as every turn of the page brings a new perspective. This juxtaposition of ancient and modern, as seen with David Macaulay's ingenious vision, gives the reader an imaginative and informative journey through this wondrous city.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Somewhere in the Italian hills, a homing pigeon is released. She soars quickly and follows an old road, which (of course) leads to Rome." So begins Caldecott Medal-winning artist David Macaulay's visually festive journey that tracks the whimsical flight of a homing pigeon through the archways, over the terra-cotta rooftops, and between the columns of this most ancient and vibrant city: "Instead of traveling directly to her destination, which is standard pigeon procedure, she decides to take the scenic route." Macaulay's angle of vision pans back and forth between the pigeon's-eye view and that of a roaming cinematographer. The effect is a kaleidoscope of whirling, swooping, dizzying images that must resemble flight itself. Macaulay's intricately crosshatched pen-and-ink images of Rome--with its ancient amphitheater, Colosseum, Temple of Hercules, elaborate fountains, and bustling cafes (with a feast of crumbs for a travel-weary pigeon)--provide a dazzling display of architectural finery. We are so swept up in the homing pigeon's divergent path--marked on the black-and-white vistas by a thin red line--that we momentarily forget she has a task at talon. All is explained in the uplifting one-word message joyfully delivered by the pigeon to the sketch artist (Macaulay himself?) shown at work in the last scene of the book. Rome Antics concludes with an aerial map of the city, marked with the pigeon's flight path. Roman sites from the Arch of Constantine to the Pantheon are briefly described as well. This lovely visual serenade to Rome is a delight for anyone who could fall in love with such a city as this. (All ages)

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up. Macaulay's trademark bird's-eye views of famous works of architecture become in this book the literal substance of the text. Modern Rome is seen through the skewed perspective of a homing pigeon's erratic flight through the city streets as she delivers a message to an artist in a garret. Darting and swooping above rooftops and into alleyways, the bird takes readers on a haphazard tour as it catches an overhead view of the Colosseum, sees churches aslant and turned upside down, sails into the sky above a piazza, and makes brief forays down cobbled streets to search for crumbs. Macaulay adds sly touches of humor to the pen-and-ink sketches, as voracious cats eye the pigeon and people pursue their chores and pleasures, oblivious of the bird's flight, which is indicated by a thin red line. The famous landmarks are here, perhaps seen only as a piece of a cornice, the columns of a structure, or a section of an ancient wall. The book includes a map of the city "As the pigeon flies" with each structure numbered, and an addendum shows the 22 featured buildings with a paragraph or two of interesting facts about each one. As a guidebook to modern Rome, Macaulay's sketchbook is unconventional and too sophisticated for young children, but for those with a knowledge of, or a yearning to see one of the great cities of the world, it is full of informative details and amusing incidents.?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (October 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395822793
• ISBN-13: 978-0395822791
• Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Europe

More About the Author

David Macaulay is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books have sold millions of copies in the United States alone, and his work has been translated into a dozen languages. Macaulay has garnered numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal and Honor Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Christopher Award, an American Institute of Architects Medal, and the Washington Post-Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award. In 2006, he was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, given "to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations." Superb design, magnificent illustrations, and clearly presented information distinguish all of his books. David Macaulay lives with his family in Vermont.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A creative engagement..., January 27, 2009

By 

untitled841 (Oregon, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rome Antics (Hardcover)

With over 136+ great vocabulary words this book provides more learning than most children's books (vocabulary depends on your child's level).

The plot is thick enough to keep even the adult reading it hooked. It all starts when a homing pigeon is sent out with a message changes her usual path to tour the city of Rome on her way to deliver the message. In true Italian style there is a café, piazza, a soccer game, churches, mopeds, a crumb hunt and more pigeons!

The book is presented in simple black and white drawings with the pigeon's path traced in red. The pictures of the story cover at least 85% of each page with the words at the bottom, as well as labels for each site in Rome that the pigeon is flying past. On the last pages these monuments are listed and briefly described. The font is easy for most children to read, and there are no italicized words making letter distinction even easier to handle for children.

All in all a great story for child and reader that does an amazing job describing a foreign city down to the last detail keeping everyone entertained.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rome Antics, November 22, 2010

By 

Patterson P. Patrick (Tanasi) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rome Antics (Hardcover)

David is an awesome writer and can sketch a picture that will draw you in. He uses all this to covertly educate you on the topic at hand. Rome Antics is clever from the title page on. Buy it and enjoy it.

3.0 out of 5 stars creative and fun; no plot, October 19, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rome Antics (Paperback)

This book reminds me of "Once Upon A Banana" by Jennifer Armstrong in showing a series of scenes and something moving through the pages (in this case, a homing pigeon. We really like "Once Upon a Banana," by the way.)

The back of the book has the information you need to understand the different buildings and piazzas, plus a map. The rest of the book is just the pigeon being cute.

Beautiful architectural drawings, though.