Tuesday, April 9, 2013

We Met This Cat in Venice...



Little Monkey and I went to Venice this morning.  We rode on a gondola down The Grand Canal...


Walked on an old stone bridge across the Canal Tolentini...


Stopped to watch the pigeons in the Piazza San Marco...


And met a charming alley cat named Piccolo...


Much to his dismay, Piccolo has been "adopted" by two orphaned kittens, Marco and Polo.


At first he tries to shrug them off.  After all he is a tom cat, a loner, and he certainly doesn't need the responsibility of two needy kittens.  However, he soon finds that he needs them just as much as they need him.  He goes from selfish to selfless. 


I love the book Papa Piccolo by Carol Talley as it teaches the importance of caring and nurturing those that are not able to care for themselves, being a champion for the underdog (or cat). 


As Papa Piccolo explores around the city, the amazing illustrations and descriptions transport you to Venice.  The sights, smells and sounds of this watery wonderland come to life with each turn of the page.


I love that we had "real" photos of Pete's parents' trip to Venice to compare to the book.  What a great learning experience. Living books are the best, and I highly recommend Papa Piccolo.



All of the amazing Venice photos were taken by my father-in-law and the gorgeous book illustrations are by Itoko Maeno. 

Hugs, 

Melissa

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