Review sponsored* by Margie Blumberg
The Children’s Book Review | May 10, 2016
Written by Margie Blumberg
Illustration by Renée Andriani
Age Range: 2-6 years
Hard cover: 40 pages
Publisher: MB Publishing, LLC (2016)
ISBN: 978-0991364671
What to expect: Sight-seeing, Travel, Adventure, Bilingual Text
Rome Romp! is the follow-up book to the very charming and well-crafted picture book Paris Hop! Grandma Goldie returns, this time traveling with her grandson Danny and his dog, Cappuccino. As they sit down in a café to prepare for their day of sightseeing, Cappuccino suddenly runs off, and Grandma Goldie and Danny give chase! The dog runs down the Spanish Steps, takes a dip in a fountain and leads them toward beautiful works of art and architecture up and down the streets of Rome. Eventually Danny and Grandma Goldie sit down in a park, where they are reunited with Cappuccino. The remarkable thing is that the whole chase has provided Danny and Grandma Goldie with the best possible tour through Rome, taking them from their café to the Coliseum and the Trevi Fountain, while enjoying respites of spaghetti and gelato along the way. Cappuccino proves to be a perfect tour guide!
Like Paris Hop!, Rome Romp! takes an exciting and original approach to bilingual storytelling. Since the main characters are tourists, the book is able to provide essential vocabulary within a context that will make sense to the reader. It would certainly be a perfect book for anyone planning to take a child to Rome, as the introduction to the city, culture, and language is told in a fun and relatable way, but anyone interested in exposing a child to a new language and culture is sure to enjoy the book. Another charm of the story, quite unique among picture books, is the inter-generational structure of a grandparent and a grandchild travelling together. It’s fun and interesting to see the relationship between Grandma Goldie and Danny evolve over the course of the day, and to watch the way they relate to each other’s interests and energies. Finally, the rhyming pace keeps the story moving forward by providing palpable energy to this exciting, international tale of art, culture, language, food, fun, family—and dog chasing. Bellisimo!
Add this book to your collection: Rome Romp!
For more information, visit: mbpublishing.com
About Margie Blumberg
Margie Blumberg is the author/publisher of Avram’s Gift (illustrated by Laurie McGaw), Sunny Bunnies and Breezy Bunnies (illustrated by June Goulding), Paris Hop! (illustrated by Renée Andriani), and The Scoop on Good Grammar. She is also the publisher of several middle-grade books, including Escape in Time (a historical novel by Ronit Lowenstein-Malz), Celtic Run: A Jake McGreevy Novel and Chicago Bound: A Jake McGreevy Novel (by Sean Vogel), and The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery (by R. M. Clark). Future MB Publishing titles include the picture books Busy Bunnies, Snowy Bunnies, and A Gefilte Fishy Tale (written by Allison and Wayne Marks and illustrated by Renée Andriani). A native Washingtonian, Ms. Blumberg resides in Bethesda, Maryland, where she enjoys reading, collecting first-edition novels and plays, cooking, biking, and watching movies.
About Renée Andriani
Renée Andriani grew up in Connecticut and has a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She works in an array of media, including pen and ink, pencil, dye, watercolor, and digital. Her illustrations appear in numerous children’s books, as well as in magazines and on Hallmark’s Shoebox greeting cards. She also serves as a graphic recorder and graphic facilitator, collaborating with organizations and their teams to create “visual stories” that reflect meetings, brainstorms, and published content. An avid hiker and cookie baker, she draws inspiration from doodling in her sketchbook, being outdoors, and hanging out with funny people. She lives in Kansas with her husband, three teenagers, and two big dogs. Visit http://randriani.carbonmade.com/to see more of her work.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. The author of “Rome Romp,” Margie Blumberg, sponsored* this non-biased review. Learn more about getting a book review …