cover image King of Rome

King of Rome

Dave Sudbury, , illus. by Hans Saefkow. . Simply Read, $17.95 (28pp) ISBN 978-1-894965-94-1

Charlie Hudson, a laborer in pre-WWI Britain, sent his best racing pigeon off to Rome to compete against a thousand other birds. The other birds perished in a storm; Hudson's alone returned to his home in Derby, bringing Hudson fame and his city pride (“When I set them free,/ it's just like part of me/ gets lifted up on shining wings”). Sudbury previously wrote a ballad about Hudson and his birds; here, first-timer Saefkow fashions dense pencil drawings to accompany Sudbury's text. Saefkow pays as much attention to the city scenery as he does to the characters and birds, giving every cobblestone, brick and shingle the kind of visual richness that charms young readers. Gray skies and grimy bricks convey the dullness of Hudson's life, making his triumph all the more poignant. While the verse has some powerful moments—“And when you live round here,” Hudson says, “the ground can seem awful near”—the lack of context may leave readers confused about what the race actually entailed, as well as the fact that the story has its basis in reality. Ages 8–up. (May)