Song+of+the+Swallows

**By Jillian DeGiacomo**
Title: __Song of the Swallows__ Author/Illustrator: Leo Politi Copyright 1948 by Leo Politi ISBN 0-689-71140-9 Publisher: Aladdin Books, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York Pages: 32 Ages: 6 and up Language: English
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**Summary of Book:** A young boy named Juan, who lives in San Juan Capistrano, is on his way to school when he passes one of many Missions in the village. He runs into his good old friend Julian, who is gardener for the Mission. Julian is known for many good things he does, and one of the is being kind to the birds that come and go through the village. The most fascinating bird that Juan is intrigued by are the swallows. The swallows come every year on St. Joseph's Day in the spring and leave in the late summer. Juan calls them by their Spanish name las golondrinas. He loves the sweet twittering music that fills the gardens. Juan wants nothing more than the swallows to nest at his home. So Juan decides to build his own garden for the next spring for the swallows. To his surprise and pleasure his wish comes true.

**Review of book:** A book like this never really drew my attention as a child. It might of had something to do with the colors or title. But now reading and reviewing this book has completely changed my mind. I really enjoy and appreciate this book for what it's worth. The illustrations just captivate and bring the text to life. Leo Politi really does a fantastic job using up full pages to illustrate and project his story. The colors inside are really captivating and bright, showing that the message of this story is a feel good one. The text of this book is very detailed and really gives the reader a feel for what Juan is going trough. The story shows a true meaning of friendship and hard work. It really shows that working hard for what you want will pay off. For example Juan really wanted the swallows to nest at his garden, so he went home and worked extremely hard to make his garden warm and inviting for the swallows. His reward was the swallows nesting in his garden and he truly bonded with them.

Leo Politi, was born in Fresno, California on November 21, 1908. At the age of seven he moved with his family to Italy and lived there until the age of 22. He moved back to California. He was attracted to the Mayan culture of the region and developed a palette that served as his core of colors throughout the 1930s and '40s. Politi began sketching and painting from a regular spot on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles, where he sketched tourists and sold drawings alongside potters, weavers and other artisans-in-residence. During the 1930s he worked in oils, watercolors and wood sculptures. He l aunched his literary career in 1938 with "Little Pancho". In 1950 he was honored with the Caldecott Medal for "the nation's most distinguished children's picture book" for "Song of the Swallows". Over the years he wrote many more widely-acclaimed books and achieved worldwide fame prior to his passing away in 1996. A public library, a park, a plaza and an elementary school have been named for him. The Centennial of his birth saw many commemorative celebrations in California and the nation.
 * Author Bio: **

Song of Swallows theme focuses on friendship, hard work, belief, and importance of culture. In this story Politi is getting to the base of the characters cultural backgrounds. His focus is on California's Latino culture and religion. This book shows the passion these characters have with the beauty and nature of their surroundings. They have great faith in the swallows and believe if you are good to them they will always come back, which they do. The main character Juan shows great work ethic and is a very determined boy for his age. He goes for what he believes and doesn't look back. When Juan is waiting for the swallows to return, many of his friends were getting discouraged and tired of waiting, but Juan stayed. This shows his faith in the swallows and shows that he is also a leader like Julian. "The Juan, who was standing high up on the column of a broken arch near the edge of the playground, saw some little dots far off on the horizon. "Vienen las golondrinas!' "The swallows are coming!" Julian is a very wise man who has taken in his surroundings with open arms and is really the poster for for the village. He is a great leader and role model for Juan. The plot really shows the events of the swallows coming to the village and the cycle in which it happens. The illustrations really paint a great picture for what exactly is going on. The writing style of this book is understandable for kids and they can adapt to it in their own way. This book is wonderful fiction book for children and a great addition to a classroom library.
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