Rome Antics

by David Macaulay

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789215136
• ISBN13: 9780789215130
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Length: 84 Pages

Customer Reviews

A creative engagement...

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.

Great pictures, simple story, must-have for Rome fans

This book is a trip through Roma from a pigeon's point of view. The pigeon flies around, through, over and past many of Rome's historical landmarks, and a brief section in back describes their history and significance.I checked this out of the library to read with my 5 year old after I went to Rome last year, and bought a copy for myself, just to enjoy the pictures and the memories they bring! The Chiesa de San Ignazio (Church of St. Ignatius) is an especial favorite, as my choir performed there to a "standing room only" crowd! Quite a feat for an amateur choir on their first overseas tour!The pen and ink sketches, the snippets of history, and the wonderful way they evoke the charisma of Rome make this a great addition to any child's or adult's library.

The perfect engagement gift!

Share David MacAuley's obviously personal portrait of Rome. It's a portrait in the most obvious sense: lovingly detailed drawings of Rome's greatest architecture captured from MacAuley's witty and often weird perspective. But, through the drawings and the wonderful conceit, you see that this little book is also a personal exploration of a city that touches the heart.

"Rome Antics" for those in love with Rome and otherwise.

This is the finest illustrated gift book for the Romaphiles that you love!! Get it now and make a gift to the one you love. It will be appreciated for years to come.