Dodsworth in Rome

by Tim Egan

Overview

Dodsworth makes his Green Light Reader debut! Independent Level 3 readers will
enjoy scootering through Italy and four easy-to-read chapters with Dodsworth and
one very mischievous duck. The amusing antics include a pizza-throwing contest,
“borrowing” coins from the world’s most famous fountain, and almost repainting the
ceiling in the Sistine Chapel!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547722108
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/03/2012
Series:	A Dodsworth Book
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Tim Egan is the author and illustrator of several offbeat and humorous tales for children. Born in New Jersey, Tim moved to California to attend the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He still lives in southern California with his wife, Ann, and their two sons. To learn more about Tim Egan, visit his Web site at www.timegan.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Egans understated, hilarious travelogue continues as Dodsworth and his duck pal explore Rome, Italy."—Kirkus Reviews —

From the Publisher

Egan's understated, hilarious travelogue continues as Dodsworth and his duck pal explore Rome, Italy. The duck—still wearing an acorn beret from Paris (Dodsworth in Paris, 2008)—is the motor for most of the laughs. Standing beside colossal columns inSt. Peter's Square, he comments dryly, "I feel smaller than usual." Inside the Sistine Chapel, he notes placidly, "That's weird.... There isn't one duck in the entire painting." Moments later, he's on the ceiling with white paint, remedying that omission. Ink-and-watercolor illustrations employ tiny smiles and minimalist expressions to underscore the humor. In a pizza-throwing contest ("You're good at throwing food," comments Dodsworth, and indeed, the duck throws things in every city), the duck sneaks Dodsworth's suitcase behind a table to stand on, never telling Dodsworth. A chaotic search for the suitcase yields nothing, and without the cash inside it, Dodsworth can't afford a hotel. They doze overnight on the Spanish Steps. Next day, they dine heartily on found money—until honest Dodsworth discovers that the duck "found" the coins in the Trevi Fountain. Is the duck a descendent of Amelia Bedelia, innocently believing that a flea market contains fleas and that "Rome" means to roam around? Or is he slyly "mak[ing] the trip a little more exciting?" Deadpan delivery means there's no way to tell, and that's the brilliance of the duck. May the journey continue. (Early reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews