Angelo

by David Macaulay

Hardcover, 2002

Status

Available

Call number

514

Genres

Children's Books

Collections

Geography and Social Studies, Picture Books

Publication

HMH Books for Young Readers (2002), Edition: First, 48 pages

Description

While restoring the front of a church, an old plasterer rescues several injured pigeons and nurses them back to health.

User reviews

LibraryThing member kimsbooks

This is a prototypical "odd couple" story...one character damages church facades, and the other restores them; what basis is that for a friendship? Of course, compassion is the basis, and also the basis for the unfolding of this wonderful story. In the telling, Macaulay gets to show off Rome as it

should be appreciated, close up from wonderful angles.

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LibraryThing member foster7

Angelo restores churches for a living, and one day, while out on the job, he encounters an injured pigeon. He takes the bird home, and gives him an enormous amount of TLC. Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator David Macaulay created a humorous, yet touching, illustration of the bird in a

make-shift hospital bed, built by Angelo. On another page, we see diagrams and a kind of anatomy book, all about pigeons. The bird recovered, and after a brief stint as a piazza actress (my favorite detail in the story), returned to Angelo, as she noticed he was aging, and taking more time to complete his restoration work. "She fanned him with her wings," and "she carried his handkerchief to a nearby fountain and soaked it in the cool water," to help her old friend. Silvia, as the bird was later named, stayed beside Angelo until he finished his last church project. Knowing that his life was near its end, Angelo made sure to do one last thing for his beloved Silvia. I will leave that a secret for the reader to discover. In addition to the aforementioned illustrations, there are many other drawing details that will put a smile on readers' faces. The cartoon drawings reveal how close Angelo and Silvia were. Readers will see Silvia's picnic canopy, Angelo's effort to hold headphones for her, their car trips, matching scarves, pasta renderings, and group photo. The story, in my opinion, will appeal to readers of all ages. It is a unique, but classic, story of companionship, generosity, love, and loss.

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LibraryThing member abruser

"Angelo" by David Macaulay is about a man named Angelo that words oin restoring a chapel in Rome for many years. One day Angelo discovers and injured pigeon and helps it back to health. The pigeon helps Angelo with his work until he dies. An interesting and sad story about work, life, and

preservation.

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LibraryThing member dukefan86

This is a touching story between two unlikely friends who end up switching caretaker roles. The illustrations are charming as well.

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