Beloved illustrator Tomie dePaola retells and embellishes this northern Italian tale. Per the author's note the story stems from a real Italian mountain village (which dePaola depicts on the title page) where the last three days of January are the coldest of the year. As the story goes, the doves would roost in the chimneys to keep warm and this turned them black. DePaola's retelling also takes some inspiration from The Emperor and the Nightingale.
It's funny the ways we return to beloved picture books in our house. Last night I was helping Charlotte study for her high school biology class and the concept of symbiosis came up. My first thought was the example of crocodiles and the Plover birds that clean their teeth. And of course, that made me think of this Tomie DePaola that was in heavy rotation when Madeleine and Henry were little. Mid studying I pulled it from the shelf and read it to Charlotte. She laughed when she saw the pictures and they immediately triggered old memories. She was the one who first said, "I'm picturing a book with a crocodile and a pink bird sitting on him." I think the picture of Bill climbing the wall is one of the most brilliant picture book illustrations! Hurray for books like Tomie DePaola's that bring back core memories and can always still be enjoyed!
