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Himmelskönig
In this tale of a young boy, an old man, and a dauntless pigeon, a lyrical text and extraordinary illustrations offer a gorgeous meditation on loneliness, belonging, and home.
A young Italian boy has moved to the Welsh hills with his family. He feels isolated and unhappy, a stranger in a strange land. 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. Nicola Davies s beautiful story an immigrant s tale with powerful resonance in our troubled times is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture."
A young Italian boy has moved to the Welsh hills with his family. He feels isolated and unhappy, a stranger in a strange land. 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. Nicola Davies s beautiful story an immigrant s tale with powerful resonance in our troubled times is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture."
Hardcover
First published May 4, 2017
About the author
Nicola Davies
193 books188 followers"I was very small when I saw my first dolphin," says zoologist Nicola Davies, recalling a seminal visit with her father to a dolphin show at the zoo. Enchanted at the sight of what she called the "big fish" jumping so high and swimming so fast, she determined right then that she would meet the amazing creatures again "in the wild, where they belonged." And indeed she did--as part of a pair of scientific expeditions, one to Newfoundland at the age of eighteen and another to the Indian Ocean a year later. In WILD ABOUT DOLPHINS, Nicola Davies describes her voyages in a firsthand account filled with fascinating facts and captivating photographs of seven species of dolphins in action.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
January 3, 2020
Pretty pictures (especially of the pigeons!) with some clunky but emotional writing. There's a really good message about immigration, friendship, and belonging buried somewhere in here. I wish it were just a liiiittle bit clearer.
October 21, 2017
3.5 stars, the illustrations are beautiful, 5 stars for them. The illustrations are subtle and interesting, lovely colours, a mix of pencil drawings and paint. The story is about a boy who moves from Rome to Wales and befriends an old man who worked in the mines and now trains pigeons to race as homing pigeons. The old mans health deteriorates. We found the story quite gloomy. We like the end papers best, these were covered with lots of paintings of different types and colours of pigeon, we enjoyed choosing our favourites.
Library copy.
Library copy.
November 6, 2019
Although I do very much appreciate how the homesick young boy in King of the Sky (an immigrant to Wales from Italy) is befriended by the elderly and increasingly infirm former miner Mr. Evans (mostly due to their shared interest in racing pigeons, although I must admit that I would have much preferred a different type of shared hobby being depicted in King of the Sky as I am on an emotional level rather majorly against breeding and racing pigeons for sport and leisure, just like I am also against falconry and hawking), personally I have found King of the Sky both rather dreary and gloomy and equally not really informative enough with regard to in particular the young boy's immigration status. 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. And that this is not covered or even remotely touched upon by author Nicola Davies in her text for King of the Sky, that does kind of bother me as for one, I am certainly personally curious and do want to know and for two, not mentioning the reasons for migration, the reasons for the family having settled in Wales kind of at least to and for me makes it almost appear as though this is not important (and frankly, I for one always do think that the reasons for immigration, emigration are in every way as important and as essential to consider and discuss as the act of migration itself and the homesickness and problems with culture shock and the like that oh so often do accompany moving, relocating to a different country).
Three stars for King of the Sky, for a sweet but rather gloomy and lacking in certain for me important details tale of an intergenerational friendship (and how said friendship and the shared hobby of Mr. Evans and our young narrator immigrant to Wales racing pigeons finally does make the young boy feel that he is in fact home, that Wales will or at least can be a new "Heimat" for him), for a generally sweet and emotionally charged combination of Nicola Davies' narrative and Laura Carlin's both expressive and esoteric often whimsically wispy accompanying pictures, but indeed, still a story that does nevertheless leave me a bit personally unsatisfied and not wowed with and by reading pleasure.
Three stars for King of the Sky, for a sweet but rather gloomy and lacking in certain for me important details tale of an intergenerational friendship (and how said friendship and the shared hobby of Mr. Evans and our young narrator immigrant to Wales racing pigeons finally does make the young boy feel that he is in fact home, that Wales will or at least can be a new "Heimat" for him), for a generally sweet and emotionally charged combination of Nicola Davies' narrative and Laura Carlin's both expressive and esoteric often whimsically wispy accompanying pictures, but indeed, still a story that does nevertheless leave me a bit personally unsatisfied and not wowed with and by reading pleasure.
June 13, 2017
King of the Sky, is a beautiful, moving, story that fits this world perfectly, with immigration being high in this country. It teaches children what it feels like to be in a strange country, one you don’t know, or speak the language of.
A little Italian boy moved to the UK with his family. Being far away from the only place he knew, he felt incredibly lonely, he felt that he didn’t belong in the UK. He longed for home.
Behind his house lived elderly Mr Evans, who kept racing pigeons. These were the only things that reminded him of home. He loved seeing them fly, soaring high above the chimney tops.
Mr Evans chose one of his pigeons, and told the little boy that it was going to be a champion racer. He asked him to give it a name. The little boy called him, ‘Re Del Cielo’ – King of the Sky.
This hardcover book touches your heart. It fills you with warmth, a sense of understanding, and a want for the little boys pigeon to win the race.
The artwork is what I would describe as freehand, crayon, childlike drawings. The colours are matt, and quite dark. They are also full page and full of little details.
It is a wonderful book, with a very imaginative, poignant story, One that transports you into the life of a little boy, and his mixed emotions.
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
A little Italian boy moved to the UK with his family. Being far away from the only place he knew, he felt incredibly lonely, he felt that he didn’t belong in the UK. He longed for home.
Behind his house lived elderly Mr Evans, who kept racing pigeons. These were the only things that reminded him of home. He loved seeing them fly, soaring high above the chimney tops.
Mr Evans chose one of his pigeons, and told the little boy that it was going to be a champion racer. He asked him to give it a name. The little boy called him, ‘Re Del Cielo’ – King of the Sky.
This hardcover book touches your heart. It fills you with warmth, a sense of understanding, and a want for the little boys pigeon to win the race.
The artwork is what I would describe as freehand, crayon, childlike drawings. The colours are matt, and quite dark. They are also full page and full of little details.
It is a wonderful book, with a very imaginative, poignant story, One that transports you into the life of a little boy, and his mixed emotions.
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
July 15, 2018
Peter, a young Italian boy and his family emigrate to a remote, Welsh mining town, and he finds himself feeling displaced and out of alignment with his new home. Yet a friendship with an elderly, retired miner who spends his time with his pigeons. Mr. Evans welcomes Peter into his home and allows him to name one of the pigeons.
Carlin's landscape of South Wales is one in which steam trains still run and carts are pulled by horses. There is a calling here to a different time yet the story itself resonates as powerfully as it does today. Both illustrations and words pass the narrative baton so well here and I think Carlin's work with might by my favourite of Davies' collaborations - they seem to understand each other so well. Those double-page spreads in which Carlin is allowed to fly free: the small, tight community set within the grey valleys of Wales and the pigeons being released shows that she is an illustrator of immense talent. This is a slow, dream-like, tender story of what it means to make a new home whilst always honouring the one left behind.
Carlin's landscape of South Wales is one in which steam trains still run and carts are pulled by horses. There is a calling here to a different time yet the story itself resonates as powerfully as it does today. Both illustrations and words pass the narrative baton so well here and I think Carlin's work with might by my favourite of Davies' collaborations - they seem to understand each other so well. Those double-page spreads in which Carlin is allowed to fly free: the small, tight community set within the grey valleys of Wales and the pigeons being released shows that she is an illustrator of immense talent. This is a slow, dream-like, tender story of what it means to make a new home whilst always honouring the one left behind.
June 19, 2019
This is the story of a young immigrant boy from Rome, who hasn't learned much English yet and who feels not yet feel like he belongs in his new home in Wales. One day, as he watched a crumpled old man with a cane and a smile like springtime release his pigeons, the man spoke to him "I like to see them fly...after so long underground." Clearly sick and disabled from working in a coal mine all his life, Mr. Evans becomes the boys first friend, handing him a pigeon to name, own, and train to be a champion. Together, they begin training the boy's pigeon, but as Mr. Evans goes weaker, and the boy's doubt that his pigeon, King of the Sky, is a winner grows stronger, the bird is entered into a long distance race of more than 1,000 miles beginning in Rome. After days and stormy weather go by and still no sight of King of the Sky, Mr. Evans, now bedridden, sends the boy out side to welcome his bird home - as the bird finds its way home and into the boys waiting arms, the knows he, too, is at last home.
Told from the point of view of the young boy, a nameless narrator throughout, this is such a compelling and poignant story that shows how a simple act of kindness can help an immigrant, or anyone who feels like they are outsiders and don't belong, feel welcome. The somewhat smudged mixed-media illustrations carried that sense of not belonging, but evoked a sense of time and place for me. First, with the grey, rainy landscape that one finds in Wales, and also in row houses so common in mining villages like the one my dad grew up in, and the image of boy and man sitting at the table eating Mrs. Evans's welsh cakes, a picture and taste from my own childhood and afternoon tea.
Teachers and Home Schoolers can find a wonderful classroom ideas courtesy of Candlewick Press HERE
Told from the point of view of the young boy, a nameless narrator throughout, this is such a compelling and poignant story that shows how a simple act of kindness can help an immigrant, or anyone who feels like they are outsiders and don't belong, feel welcome. The somewhat smudged mixed-media illustrations carried that sense of not belonging, but evoked a sense of time and place for me. First, with the grey, rainy landscape that one finds in Wales, and also in row houses so common in mining villages like the one my dad grew up in, and the image of boy and man sitting at the table eating Mrs. Evans's welsh cakes, a picture and taste from my own childhood and afternoon tea.
Teachers and Home Schoolers can find a wonderful classroom ideas courtesy of Candlewick Press HERE
October 3, 2018
King of the Sky is a moving story which some children and adults could relate to. A young boy moving from Italy to Wales would be like stepping into the unknown I'd imagine. 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 friendship formed between the little boy and Mr Evans is a perfect example to me as to why an intergenerational project within school is a good idea. Both the lives of Mr Evans and the little boy were positively impacted as their friendship blossomed. I genuinely really loved the friendship between the two characters as they both appeared so much happier once the other one came into their life. It made me feel happy for them both, just as a reader.
In addition, the illustrations are almost child-like colourful and creative. They were a lovely aid to the story. Highly recommend as it is very relevant to todays diverse society!
The friendship formed between the little boy and Mr Evans is a perfect example to me as to why an intergenerational project within school is a good idea. Both the lives of Mr Evans and the little boy were positively impacted as their friendship blossomed. I genuinely really loved the friendship between the two characters as they both appeared so much happier once the other one came into their life. It made me feel happy for them both, just as a reader.
In addition, the illustrations are almost child-like colourful and creative. They were a lovely aid to the story. Highly recommend as it is very relevant to todays diverse society!
August 18, 2017
2.5 stars -- Unique illustrations and an evocative sense of time and place are the standout elements of this story of a lonely immigrant boy who finds a connection to his native Italy in the form of an old man and his racing pigeons.
Humane-minded parents will want to note that this story is about pigeon racing, which is still practiced today and is not without its problems and controversy. While pigeon racing is celebrated in this book, it could spark some good discussion of animal sports in general and the many modern, more humane alternatives to these events that can replace animal use.
Humane-minded parents will want to note that this story is about pigeon racing, which is still practiced today and is not without its problems and controversy. While pigeon racing is celebrated in this book, it could spark some good discussion of animal sports in general and the many modern, more humane alternatives to these events that can replace animal use.
August 29, 2018
This book had me in tears. Absolutely loved it. The story is just perfect. Friendships are often in the strangest places and people bond over the strangest things. But, a connection with someone, in my opinion, is all that is left when we die.
It is my consolation when I see what greets me in the mirror each morning, people won’t remember what car I drove or what I wear - they will only remember how I made them feel.
My dad had racing pigeons. So the book was a bit special for me.
It is my consolation when I see what greets me in the mirror each morning, people won’t remember what car I drove or what I wear - they will only remember how I made them feel.
My dad had racing pigeons. So the book was a bit special for me.
October 30, 2018
A young Italian immigrant, newly arrived in Wales, finds the gray, rainy landscape around him alien and unfriendly. The little houses that "huddled on the humpbacked hills," the chimneys that smoked, the streets that smelled of mutton soup and coal dust, the unfamiliar words in everyone's mouths - all of these things together, tell the boy: "This is not where you belong." Then he befriends old Mr. Evans, a retired miner who keeps pigeons - birds which remind the boy of his home. 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. Evans believes has the making of a champion. When King of the Sky is entered in a race from Rome to Wales, the question of his success or failure ends up holding great significance...
It's easy to see why King of the Sky was chosen as one of "The New York Time's Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2017!" English illustrator Laura Carlin's mixed media artwork is immensely expressive, capturing the emotional register of each scene perfectly with her impressionistic figures. I particularly loved the two-page spread depicting the flock of pigeons in flight, as well as her use of a more limited color range, when the characters are discussing something traumatic, such as war. All that said, although this is a very beautiful book, what really made the reading experience extraordinary for me was Welsh author Nicola Davies' story, which moved me to tears on more than one occasion. Her language is expressive, often very beautiful - I loved the image, quoted above, of "humpbacked hills!" - and most importantly, emotionally evocative. One really gets a feeling for the grayness, not just of the hills around the boy-narrator, but of his soul, as he considers this seemingly unwelcoming world. The slow opening up toward a more joyful sense of belonging in the story is mirrored by the poignant sense that loss, in the form of the weakening Mr. Evans, is still with the boy, that perhaps his joy and sorrow go hand in hand, and always will.
In sum: a powerful picture-book, one I would recommend to those looking for deeply felt children's stories that address themes of loneliness and alienation, friendship and solitude, the human connection to the world around us, and the immigrant experience.
It's easy to see why King of the Sky was chosen as one of "The New York Time's Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2017!" English illustrator Laura Carlin's mixed media artwork is immensely expressive, capturing the emotional register of each scene perfectly with her impressionistic figures. I particularly loved the two-page spread depicting the flock of pigeons in flight, as well as her use of a more limited color range, when the characters are discussing something traumatic, such as war. All that said, although this is a very beautiful book, what really made the reading experience extraordinary for me was Welsh author Nicola Davies' story, which moved me to tears on more than one occasion. Her language is expressive, often very beautiful - I loved the image, quoted above, of "humpbacked hills!" - and most importantly, emotionally evocative. One really gets a feeling for the grayness, not just of the hills around the boy-narrator, but of his soul, as he considers this seemingly unwelcoming world. The slow opening up toward a more joyful sense of belonging in the story is mirrored by the poignant sense that loss, in the form of the weakening Mr. Evans, is still with the boy, that perhaps his joy and sorrow go hand in hand, and always will.
In sum: a powerful picture-book, one I would recommend to those looking for deeply felt children's stories that address themes of loneliness and alienation, friendship and solitude, the human connection to the world around us, and the immigrant experience.
December 6, 2017
Sweet story of the blossoming friendship between a young, displaced boy from Italy and a retired, elderly Welsh coal miner who races pigeons. The book is a gentle meditation on loneliness, courage, and finding your place in the world when you feel out of place. "Re Del Cielo," the "King of the Sky," is sent to Rome by train to participate in his big race and fly back to Wales. Will he finally return from the Italy that the boy's family left behind, the place he wistfully longs for? The ending helps the reader realize that when you can welcome someone home, then you, yourself, are home. A New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book for 2017, with hand-lettered text as well as beautiful blurred, impressionistic mixed media illustrations by Royal College of Art graduate Laura Carlin. I especially loved the endpapers showing all of the pigeons in various colors, sizes, and poses.
September 12, 2019
A bit meandering - it doesn't have a strong pull. Not crazy about the illustrations, but at least they have some style.
July 1, 2018
A gorgeously illustrated picture book for older readers, King of the Sky is a story about immigration, friendship, and the meaning of home. A young Italian moves from Rome to Wales. At first he feels like he doesn't fit in - everything looks, sounds, and smells different, and no one speaks his language. But a friendship with an elderly neighbour who races pigeons may just be what the boy needs to find his new home.
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'.
Laura Carlin's illustrations are all divine.
The book's message of loneliness and friendship is there for everyone, but the book also deals with alienation, immigration, and the decline of former industrial-centered towns (mining in this case). This is a very much a picture book for our times, but it's themes are also timeless and universal.
Interesting choice to have the immigrant be from Italy rather than a third world country. It's important to remember that not all immigrants come from poor countries, that anyone might come here looking for a better life, and feel alienated and lonely. The reasons for the family's coming to Wales are never mentioned, another interesting choice, perhaps to show that we shouldn't jump to conclusions about the word 'immigrant' or judge the reasons they leave their home country. Interestingly, also, there's no indication of when this story takes place - after one or both of the World Wars (carrier pigeons on the battlefields are mentioned), and there are trains and steamships, and a couple of images of kettles being heated on stoves - so it could take place anytime between (my own personal guess) 1918 and now.
Definitely deserving of a place on the Kate Greenaway shortlist. Would have worked beautifully as a fiction book too, as I'd have liked to learn more about the boy's family, their life in Italy, and the old man (Mr Evans) and his life. But it's perfect as it is, too.
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'.
Laura Carlin's illustrations are all divine.
The book's message of loneliness and friendship is there for everyone, but the book also deals with alienation, immigration, and the decline of former industrial-centered towns (mining in this case). This is a very much a picture book for our times, but it's themes are also timeless and universal.
Interesting choice to have the immigrant be from Italy rather than a third world country. It's important to remember that not all immigrants come from poor countries, that anyone might come here looking for a better life, and feel alienated and lonely. The reasons for the family's coming to Wales are never mentioned, another interesting choice, perhaps to show that we shouldn't jump to conclusions about the word 'immigrant' or judge the reasons they leave their home country. Interestingly, also, there's no indication of when this story takes place - after one or both of the World Wars (carrier pigeons on the battlefields are mentioned), and there are trains and steamships, and a couple of images of kettles being heated on stoves - so it could take place anytime between (my own personal guess) 1918 and now.
Definitely deserving of a place on the Kate Greenaway shortlist. Would have worked beautifully as a fiction book too, as I'd have liked to learn more about the boy's family, their life in Italy, and the old man (Mr Evans) and his life. But it's perfect as it is, too.
March 24, 2018
A very relevant story about a little boy who moves to a town where he feels unable to settle. With little connection to where he used to live, the child is lost and uncertain, only feeling that he belongs at the small reminders of his previous country. 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. After a series of events, the child is eventually able gain his feeling of 'home'.
'Home' itself is an interesting concept in this story, particularly in the title 'King of the Sky'. Is this perhaps a suggestion that home is where we make it, and should not be constricted?
I really enjoyed this story. The illustrations were quite interesting in the smudged and hazy effect that permeates the pages, perhaps a link to the child's perception in feeling that he does not belong.
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. Even a class that is less diverse would benefit from this story, broadening their awareness of different situations.
'Home' itself is an interesting concept in this story, particularly in the title 'King of the Sky'. Is this perhaps a suggestion that home is where we make it, and should not be constricted?
I really enjoyed this story. The illustrations were quite interesting in the smudged and hazy effect that permeates the pages, perhaps a link to the child's perception in feeling that he does not belong.
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. Even a class that is less diverse would benefit from this story, broadening their awareness of different situations.
October 10, 2020
A book about feeling isolated and marginalised after moving to a new place. A young refugee is seeking safety and friendship which he finds in the form of a kind old man who shows him his pigeons and this gives him a purpose.
The illustrations are very pale and faded to suggest that the boy is working out where he fits in, symbolising his journey between his two different homes. The pigeons however are in full colour from the beginning to show how the boy feels comforted and more like himself when he is around them. The birds are there from the beginning to the end of the story.
The illustrations are very pale and faded to suggest that the boy is working out where he fits in, symbolising his journey between his two different homes. The pigeons however are in full colour from the beginning to show how the boy feels comforted and more like himself when he is around them. The birds are there from the beginning to the end of the story.
November 8, 2018
This book about a boy moving from Italy to Wales is moving and uplifting. The illustrtions show the dense smoke of the mining town and then this contrasts with the warm relationship between the boy and elderly man. The child becomes attached to a pigeon in which they seem to journey together to finally feel at home together.
September 25, 2019
What attracted me most about it this book was the beautiful illustrations. The soft and gentle colours are calming, tied in with the lyrical writing. It is a beautiful book which could perhaps be used to help an immigrant child, who is missing their home.
August 10, 2018
Beautiful story about friendship and acceptance.
November 13, 2020
Not what I expected, at all.
Let's see... Some issues about immigration are not covered or even mentioned.
Anyway, illustrations are really nice!
Let's see... Some issues about immigration are not covered or even mentioned.
Anyway, illustrations are really nice!
April 11, 2018
an Italian boy a long way from home finds his own re del cielo and a new sense of belonging. This is lovely... probably not so much for the kids but great for the parents.
May 26, 2017
This is a book for reading and rereading. The illustrations are muddy and smudged—fitting for their coal town setting—and reveal their details only upon closer perusal. The text, capturing the simple, straightforward voice of the boy telling his story, likewise holds subtle truths awaiting discovery. And the two together unveil textures of friendship, loneliness, belonging, and the trials and triumphs that shape a life. A poignant, hopeful meditation of a book.
February 18, 2022
This book is beautifully written and illustrated in a complimentary way.
This picture book is about a boy that moves from Rome to Wales. He comments that this place does not feel like home. He makes friends with Mr Evans, a retired miner that races pigeons. The pair enter a pigeon to a race. The pigeon would start the race in Rome and travel back to the Welsh Town. The boy waits for days for the pigeon to return and worries that he will get distracted by Rome and not want to return. The pigeon returns and the boy 'who knew at last that he was home'.
There are links to geography, science, history and PSHE within this book.
This picture book is about a boy that moves from Rome to Wales. He comments that this place does not feel like home. He makes friends with Mr Evans, a retired miner that races pigeons. The pair enter a pigeon to a race. The pigeon would start the race in Rome and travel back to the Welsh Town. The boy waits for days for the pigeon to return and worries that he will get distracted by Rome and not want to return. The pigeon returns and the boy 'who knew at last that he was home'.
There are links to geography, science, history and PSHE within this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2018
This is an interesting and very relevant book but I’m not sure if it’s one children will enjoy as much as adults. It’s a hardback book around A4 in size but in landscape rather than portrait. Inside there are thick but matt pages of both illustrations and text. The story is told by the boy, an Italian immigrant, who has recently moved to a mining town in the UK. The boy is lonely and everywhere he looks around him makes him feel like he doesn’t belong in this country. But a kind old neighbour who owns racing pigeons becomes friends with the boy and gives him a pigeon of his own, one he names ‘Re Del Cielo’ (King of the Sky).
It’s hard not to give away the whole plot of the story, and I won’t, but through racing the pigeon the boy learns to feel like he belongs in this country despite being an immigrant. The message of the book is very relevant to today’s world with lots of immigration into this and many other countries. The book is in fact endorsed by Amnesty International because of its message of belonging and having a right to a home. I don’t mind the message in this book at all, I think it’s very relevant to our times and as the daughter of immigrants I feel it needs to be told. But the book never appealed to me to re-read it, there’s just something about the look of the pictures that felt a little too depressing.It’s hard not to give away the whole plot of the story, and I won’t, but through racing the pigeon the boy learns to feel like he belongs in this country despite being an immigrant. The message of the book is very relevant to today’s world with lots of immigration into this and many other countries. The book is in fact endorsed by Amnesty International because of its message of belonging and having a right to a home. I don’t mind the message in this book at all, I think it’s very relevant to our times and as the daughter of immigrants I feel it needs to be told. But the book never appealed to me to re-read it, there’s just something about the look of the pictures that felt a little too depressing.
The illustrations all look like pastel drawings and they depict the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the mining town (a place that didn’t feel like home to the boy) very well. But I just never warmed to these images and I’m not sure if children would either. Some of the pictures are simple and some have interesting extra details in outlines but I feel like the last image, especially at the end of the story where it ends on a happy note could have had more colour or been brighter to reflect this happiness.
To me this is an important book for kids to read. The message is very important to get across but it feels more like a book to discuss at school rather than one kids would choose to read. It’s just my personal opinion but this book wouldn’t have stood out for me to read when I was younger.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy.
It’s hard not to give away the whole plot of the story, and I won’t, but through racing the pigeon the boy learns to feel like he belongs in this country despite being an immigrant. The message of the book is very relevant to today’s world with lots of immigration into this and many other countries. The book is in fact endorsed by Amnesty International because of its message of belonging and having a right to a home. I don’t mind the message in this book at all, I think it’s very relevant to our times and as the daughter of immigrants I feel it needs to be told. But the book never appealed to me to re-read it, there’s just something about the look of the pictures that felt a little too depressing.It’s hard not to give away the whole plot of the story, and I won’t, but through racing the pigeon the boy learns to feel like he belongs in this country despite being an immigrant. The message of the book is very relevant to today’s world with lots of immigration into this and many other countries. The book is in fact endorsed by Amnesty International because of its message of belonging and having a right to a home. I don’t mind the message in this book at all, I think it’s very relevant to our times and as the daughter of immigrants I feel it needs to be told. But the book never appealed to me to re-read it, there’s just something about the look of the pictures that felt a little too depressing.
The illustrations all look like pastel drawings and they depict the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the mining town (a place that didn’t feel like home to the boy) very well. But I just never warmed to these images and I’m not sure if children would either. Some of the pictures are simple and some have interesting extra details in outlines but I feel like the last image, especially at the end of the story where it ends on a happy note could have had more colour or been brighter to reflect this happiness.
To me this is an important book for kids to read. The message is very important to get across but it feels more like a book to discuss at school rather than one kids would choose to read. It’s just my personal opinion but this book wouldn’t have stood out for me to read when I was younger.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy.
December 1, 2018
I love the idea of friendships between the old and the young, they are great the older sharing wisdom with the young and the young bringing life and vitality to the older, and they work well in books, it is a shame we are so suspicious and negative that in real life the old man here would probably be shamed, degraded and put on one of the shonky current bun (read news) shows on nightly TV.
A nice story but it pointed out for me the difference between idealised reading and reality.
A nice story but it pointed out for me the difference between idealised reading and reality.
August 4, 2017
The story is nice, but what really won me over were the illustrations. Beautiful!
September 6, 2017
Interesting, likable, but confusing. This could be good to use with older kids and start a discussion.
March 6, 2024
As mentioned by Gundula for Inter-generational Friendships. Also, it turns out, an immigration story. Yes, moving from Rome to Wales has to be awfully hard.
November 30, 2020
I absolutely loved this book. It is about a young boy who migrates from Italy (Rome) to Wales. He arrives in a new country where everything is strange and foreign to him, reminding him that 'this is not where you belong'. He then befriends his elderly neighbour Mr Evan, who's age means that he speaks slow enough for the little boy to understand. They bond over racing pigeons, and the little boy names the champion pigeon 'King of the Sky.' The little boy (who despite being the narrator is never actually named) eventually feels like he is at home in Wales. What made this book so amazing for me was the amazingly language that Davies used, which made the book even more emotional. Some of my personal favourite lines include 'little houses huddled on the humpbacked hills,' and 'finding his direction from the sun and the force that guides a compass needle.' So beautiful! The use of this evocative language, and the fact that it is told in the first person, really invites the reader into the mind of the young boy and how he must be feeling.
It was such a heart-warming story; the themes of friendship and loneliness are accessible not only for children but for people of all ages which makes the book really universal. I loved how the Pigeon symbolised the little boy eventually feeling like he is where he belongs. I think it is an important book and very current; immigration and alienation are all very present themes in our modern day society and children should be educated about this. This could be explored further in PSHE lessons, as could themes surrounding War, the elderly, and geography.
The illustrations in 'King of the Sky' are also stunning. They are simple, toned-back, smudged images, which children will be able to relate to. The softness of the images match with the general slightly sombre tone of the book, but they get more colourful and bright towards the end when the boy finally feels his own sense of belonging. The double page images of the pigeons flying, and of the sunset over the mountains are particularly great.
This book is one of my favourite reads so far!
It was such a heart-warming story; the themes of friendship and loneliness are accessible not only for children but for people of all ages which makes the book really universal. I loved how the Pigeon symbolised the little boy eventually feeling like he is where he belongs. I think it is an important book and very current; immigration and alienation are all very present themes in our modern day society and children should be educated about this. This could be explored further in PSHE lessons, as could themes surrounding War, the elderly, and geography.
The illustrations in 'King of the Sky' are also stunning. They are simple, toned-back, smudged images, which children will be able to relate to. The softness of the images match with the general slightly sombre tone of the book, but they get more colourful and bright towards the end when the boy finally feels his own sense of belonging. The double page images of the pigeons flying, and of the sunset over the mountains are particularly great.
This book is one of my favourite reads so far!
December 14, 2017
I'm obsessed with pigeons so whenever I see a picture book about pigeons I read it. I think it's important that we revert our perceptions of these birds to their original state. "Rats with wings" is a term coined by Woody Allen in the late 80s. So you know it's already a vile thing to say.
I digress. This book is wonderfully illustrated by Laura Carlin; the faded and smudged pictures made me think of lazy days. I appreciate the minimal detail given to the birds save for their coat. The variety of colors and patterns in pigeon coats is due to domestication. Intentional or not, Carlin points out with her striking attention to this detail that pigeons are actually beautiful. And when you mix that with the story, you know that pigeons are also intentional.
I mostly liked this story. It's about a boy finding a friend who takes his mind off of his homesickness and Otherness through pigeon racing. The pigeons reminded the boy of home and I'm sure that their husbandry was therapeutic. I have trouble wrapping my mind around a homesick boy relating to a bird that always knows its way home. To me, that would make me long to return to my homeland because if a pigeon can do it, why can't I? That he somehow finds comfort in the fact that the pigeons find home from 1200 miles away and he can't is a little odd for me. Also lots of pigeons die during their flights home and it's kind of considered cruel to race them nowadays. But that's beside the point because little ones won't care about that, and it's up to the caretaker if they want to talk about alternative humane pigeon husbandry practices. (My vote is for yes!!)
All in all I enjoyed this pigeon book a whole lot. And I LOVE that it doesn't take place in New York. This turned into a much larger review than I intended lol
I digress. This book is wonderfully illustrated by Laura Carlin; the faded and smudged pictures made me think of lazy days. I appreciate the minimal detail given to the birds save for their coat. The variety of colors and patterns in pigeon coats is due to domestication. Intentional or not, Carlin points out with her striking attention to this detail that pigeons are actually beautiful. And when you mix that with the story, you know that pigeons are also intentional.
I mostly liked this story. It's about a boy finding a friend who takes his mind off of his homesickness and Otherness through pigeon racing. The pigeons reminded the boy of home and I'm sure that their husbandry was therapeutic. I have trouble wrapping my mind around a homesick boy relating to a bird that always knows its way home. To me, that would make me long to return to my homeland because if a pigeon can do it, why can't I? That he somehow finds comfort in the fact that the pigeons find home from 1200 miles away and he can't is a little odd for me. Also lots of pigeons die during their flights home and it's kind of considered cruel to race them nowadays. But that's beside the point because little ones won't care about that, and it's up to the caretaker if they want to talk about alternative humane pigeon husbandry practices. (My vote is for yes!!)
All in all I enjoyed this pigeon book a whole lot. And I LOVE that it doesn't take place in New York. This turned into a much larger review than I intended lol
September 19, 2017
A boy is now far from his Italian home and only one thing in this new place reminds him of Italy and where he used to live. It is Mr. Evans’s pigeons and their cooing that reminds the boy of Rome. The boy spends time with Mr. Evans and the pigeons. Mr. Evans gives him one as his own, a gray pigeon with a white head that the boy names “King of the Sky.” But the pigeon is slow to return home as the pigeons train, though Mr. Evans insists the bird will be a champion. Finally, the bird gets the perfect long distance race, flying back from Italy. But will he make it or will he stay in Italy like the boy would long to?
Davies is a masterful writer, inviting the reader into the pain of a boy who has left the country he loves and hasn’t found a place that feels right in his new country. It is a book about loneliness and finding your way forward. It’s a book about connection with your neighbors and community to find that way. The illustrations by Carlin are quirky and beautifully layered. They have a dreamlike quality to them, filled with soft edges and even softer light. This is a picture book that invites readers to understand what home really is. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Davies is a masterful writer, inviting the reader into the pain of a boy who has left the country he loves and hasn’t found a place that feels right in his new country. It is a book about loneliness and finding your way forward. It’s a book about connection with your neighbors and community to find that way. The illustrations by Carlin are quirky and beautifully layered. They have a dreamlike quality to them, filled with soft edges and even softer light. This is a picture book that invites readers to understand what home really is. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
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