LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

Review of Days of the Blackbird

A. Bibliographic Information:

dePaola, Tomie. DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD: A TALE OF NORTHERN
ITALY. New York: Putnam, 1997.

B. Plot Summary: The Duke of Gennaro and his daughter, Gemma, lived alone in a grand home in the center of the town. The Duke was good and kind and always tried to keep the city’s inhabitants in good favor with each other. The favorite pastime of The “Duca” and Gemma was listening to birds sing in their courtyard each afternoon. It was a very special time of day for them. Gemma had finished her schoolwork and is ready to relax with her father at the end of the afternoon. The Duke has settled disputes of neighbors and spread good will holding court in the Great Hall all day and he is ready to relax with his daughter while he listens to the sweet music of the birds. The birds of Gennaro were of all colors, shapes, and sizes, but the bird whose song they loved the most was La Columba who was pure white. After Gemma’s father becomes very ill she opens the windows of his bedroom and parlor so he can hear the birds singing. Gennaro was in the Northern mountainside of Italy and as the cold approached the bird’s flew south. Gemma begs La Columba to stay and help sooth and heal the Duke with its pure sweet songs. La Columba stays until she almost freezes but she is loyal to Gemma and the Duca and keeps her promise. On the night of January 29th Gemma finds the nest of wool Gemma left to keep her warm does not even take the edge off the frigid weather. There was only one way La Columba could stay warm enough and that was to settle into the top of the chimney. That left La Columba’s coat black with soot. Gemma and her father are surprised to hear bright and cheerful singing the next day but they are surprised that it would come from a blackbird and not their beloved La Columba. As the song of La Columba continues the bird’s singing becomes more and more beautiful until father and daughter discern La Columba’s identity. La Columba’s songs are the one thing able to cheer the Duke and bring him back to good health. The legend of the “Days of the Blackbird” states that La Columba never again returned to her coat full of white feathers and that from thenceforth she would be called La Merla, the blackbird. The Duke in thanksgiving for his restoration to health christened the last 3 days of January as Le Giornate della Melra; The Days of the Blackbird which were the coldest days of the year

C. Critical analysis including cultural markers and standards of literary merit.

With a volatile home life with his Italian father and Irish mother Tomie learned the literature of myth, legend, and folly and is able to strike a note of authenticity to the story. This work like most of his other Italian tales fare far better with his illustration and tone than do his stories of Irish folklore.

Drawings are very rich and vivid in true Tomie fashion. Lines are rounded and the detail of the human faces, the multidimensional flowers are beyond beautiful. Especially effective are the closeups of Gemma’s curly hair and scenes where Gemma’s arms are held out to the birds. dePaola manages to make his characters and their gestures look almost 3 dimensional. The bright carefully shaded color of each bird adds much to the effectiveness of the pictures.

In true picture book fashion these illustrations are just as important in the telling of the tale as the text. dePaola, we all know from previous experience is a winner at both the story and illustration of many different types of picture books. I believe the pictures alone could tell much of the story. The health or lack thereof regarding the Duke are apparent without the text and the mood of Gemma as well. Going from solid white to solid black might be the only part that could be missed without the accompanying text. The bird is symbolic of loyalty and commitment both as a white bird and later a black one. Any morals or lessons are stated quietly and unobtrusively and are never didactic. Some of the themes of the story are that love and sacrifice make a difference in the world, that families take turns nurturing and caring for each other and that nature is a gift to be treasured daily.

The artwork is notable because of the bright, rich hues used and the many curved lines. The curving lines of the character’s gowns, the wooden relief on the bench that is a pew, Duke’s broaches and caps are splendid artwork as well as bonnets and headbands of Gemma.

You almost miss artistic symbolism in the story because it is done so subtly. In just one picture we see three pears in different states of wholeness and three candles in the room. There are three apples in a bowl on another page and three apples on the tree. Another page has 3 pots of purple petunias hanging on the outside stucco walls of the main characters’ home. The story is a blended hybrid. Tunnell and James have told us often that the line blurs in much of these childhood tales and certainly it does here. The symbolic use of 3 is the stuff of fairy tales and traditional literature. This story is both legend and folklore. We don’t know who wrote it, it has no single author or known date of when it came into being but seems to be a tale passed down through the generations.

The setting is identified and fully fleshed out with words and pictures. The words and character’s dialog flow smoothly. My only complaint about the illustrations maybe should not even be mentioned. After reading, buying and processing Tomie dePaola’s books for over twenty years they all look almost alike to me at this point. His stylized drawings are so predictable that I wish the artist would do some more exploratory and inventive techniques and designs. I guess that would be asking too much because masters of many different art forms are often predictable as well. Ralph Lauren clothes are always classic and in good taste, nothing frew frew. Versace is always loud and gaudy.

One can always recognize the artwork of Maurice Sendak but it is sometimes in colors muted, sometimes in pencil only, sometimes in pencil and one color on the page, many times the color is yellow. These small things make an audience more attentive. dePaola has been in his comfort zone for a long time and I guess that’s what jumps out at me.

One of the big pluses of the book is the many Italian words it sneaks in slowly, one every page or two. Most of the word meanings can be figured out in context.
For example, “il concerto”, “cara”, “la primavera”, “panettone”, “Epifania”.

The last page of the book, the author’s note is very significant. Just as the Grimm Brothers collected “household” tales so this story is a household one with no known author. dePaola gives credit to the owner of a Northern Italian restaurant near his New Hampshire home for telling him the story of the day of the blackbirds. Tomie documents the village and provence where this branch of the restarauter’s family were located in Italy so a setting is given for historical and pragmatic purposes. Tomie invites his reader’s to travel to Perio’s homeplace with details of the area in Italy and also tells the audience the specific U.S. locale of the restaurant and home of it’s owner.

D. Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal comments, “The moving story is elegantly, yet simply, told. The artist combines his recognizable style with visual elements reminiscent of Italian frescoes. Watercolor background washes create a marbleized effect. Color choices portray the warmth and serenity the story suggests. A successful and satisfying union of narration and illustration.”

Publishers Weekly announces, “DePaola spins the tale with panache, imbuing it with a folktale-like timelessness, and artistically it's clear he was delighted to return once again to his beloved Italy for visual cues. The pages radiate warmth, from the picturesque late medieval setting and the terra cotta or blue-green houses with their tiled roofs, to the jewel-colored birds and flowers of the duke's garden. A sprinkling of Italian words and phrases adds an authentic flavor.”

E. Reviews accessed from:

http://www.amazon.com/Days-Blackbird-Tomie-dePaola/dp/0142402710/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191034087&sr=1-1

F. Connections:

The most similar in theme and nuance would be Aliki’s THE TWO OF THEM another great picture book where the young granddaughter, like the daughter in DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD cares for an ill and aging parent. Aliki’s offering is much more realistic however and the elderly grandparent does not return to good health. dePaola’s many other Italian folktales featuring Strega Nona, Old Beefana seem an obviously good choice.