King of the Sky

Product Information

Bonding over their shared interest in pigeon racing, the old man and the boy become particularly invested in Re Del Cielo - King of the Sky - a beautiful specimen with a snow-white head, whom Mr. He’s from a migrant family, starting a new life in a Wales in the 1920’s - leaving their Italian home far behind. You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. For yes, as an immigrant myself, I certainly am more than a bit wondering about the specific reasons as to why the boy and his family have moved from Italy to Wales in the first place.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors. We also should be wise enough to figure out the commitment of people who we are going to intend for the rest of our life.It is only when he makes an unlikely friend, an old man who lets him fly one of his pigeons in a race, that he learns how he can belong. You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place,” Maya Angelou told Bill Moyers in their magnificent 1973 conversation. They show much more than is conveyed by Nicola’s carefully chosen words, allowing the reader to create their own stories within the story. At last, the downpour ends and the boy runs outside to squint at the sky, into the clouds of fragile hope.

The double page images of the pigeons flying, and of the sunset over the mountains are particularly great.The book is in fact endorsed by Amnesty International because of its message of belonging and having a right to a home. The story is about a young boy who moves to a different country and cannot speak the language and feels like he doesn't belong. Flown until he saw the shape of humpbacked hills, the lines of little houses and the chimneys, heard the clanking towers, smelled the soup and coal dust. The writing in the book (by author Nicola Davies) is simple yet beautiful and evocative - the opening line 'It rained and rained and rained' - along with the powerful illustration of grey, dull, miserable landscape - perfectly captures the boy's sense of alienation - as he goes on to say - 'All of it told me this is not where you belong'. If this labor makes your own life more livable in any way, please consider aiding its sustenance with a one-time or loyal donation.

The unlikeliest of people help the child to regain his identity, someone who also had to make changes and become accustomed to a different way of life. Your selection was perfect for our children and what really made the difference was your ability to engage with each child, discuss their interests and help them to choose a suitable book based on your extensive knowledge of the books you were selling. Davies recognises this - her sensitive, uplifting tale about find your place in a new strange new land could just as well be about a refugee as it could any child moving to a new town. You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot!When he learns that Mr Evans’ pigeons travel as far as Italy, our main character dares to become attached. He then befriends his elderly neighbour Mr Evan, who's age means that he speaks slow enough for the little boy to understand. But the illustrations bring out so much more, not just the contrast between the landscapes, but the change to the landscape as the boy settles; the intimacy between the man and boy that extrapolates the teaching and wisdom being imparted; the industrious town in which the boy has settled and all the different characters who populate it, from the farmer on his wagon to the mother hanging her washing; the memories of fighting in the war; the different modes of transport and communication depicted; and finally the flight of the pigeons and the warmth that they exude. It could be a useful book to have in a reading corner, especially for those kids who struggle to potentially feel like they fit in, in a new country with unknown cultures. It allows children to feel empathy for those people who move to a strange country and may not speak the native language of.

The boy soon has his favourite pigeon and Mr Evans suggests to him to name the pigeon and he can have it as his own. This is an interesting and very relevant book but I'm not sure if it's one children will enjoy as much as adults. This boy isn’t a toddler - again showing that this picture book isn’t for the very young, but for those who are able to fully utilise the given visuals to embellish in their own mind the narrative that is written on the page, and for those who can probe a little deeper into the emotion and meaning behind the text. He also tells the boy how clever the pigeons are and that they find their way home again on their own.An important story to share in current times, particularly in that this feeling of disorientation and even alienation could be familiar to children that have fled their countries, and found themselves unable to feel settled. Starting a new life in a new country, a young boy feels lost and along - till he meets an old man who keeps racing pigeons. Julia Eccleshare, LoveReading * "Most of the world doesn't have to think twice when asked where they're from or where home is; some children have to think harder about the answer. The book is in fact endorsed by Amnesty International because of the it's message of belonging and having a right to a home. Evans puts a grey pigeon with a head “whiter than a splash of milk” into his young friend’s hands — a pigeon he believes is going to be a champion, one whose “eye blazed with fire.