A Tale of Northern Italy
In this elegant tale, Tomie dePaola imagines how Le Giornate della Merla, the Days of the Blackbird, came to be celebrated. Gemma and her father, Duca Gennaro, live in a house with a Great Hall and a courtyard that fills with birds of all colours through the spring and summer. They all sing to the duke, but his favourite and most loyal bird is La Colomba. When the duke falls ill and Gemma is worried, La Colomba refuses to fly south, even though snow and fierce winds swirl down on the village. Each day she sings to Duca Gennaro.
In a painterly style reminiscent of Italian frescoes, Tomie dePaola gives us breathtaking glimpses of the Italian mountains through high windows and arched doorways, and of the exquisite courtyard and magnificent interiors of Duca Gennaro's house.
