Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Dodsworth in Rome
Fiction Series
For ages 7 to 9
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011 ISBN: 978-0547722108
Dodsworth and his friend the duck have arrived in Rome, Italy. Dodsworth has learned (the hard way) that crazy things happen when the duck wanders off on his own, so he tells his friend that he “can’t wander off.” The duck agrees to stay close to Dodsworth, but I am sorry to say that he does not really follow through on his promise.
Dodsworth and the duck hire a red scooter and zoom around the city looking at the sites. In fact they zoom so fast that then duck keeps his eyes firmly shut and he only opens them when they come to an ice cream shop.
The next day the friends visit the Vatican, and Dodsworth and the duck visit the Sistine Chapel. After looking at Michelangelo’s masterpiece the duck notices that there isn’t a single duck in the painting. This bothers him and later he wanders off and manages to get his wings on some paint. He is just about to add a painting of a white duck to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel when Dodsworth sees what he is doing and stops him.
Next, the friends go to a flea market, and when the duck participates in a pizza-throwing competition – he is very very good at pizza throwing – the worst possible thing happens: Dodsworth’s suitcase, which contains their money, is stolen.
Dodsworth and his avian friend have visited many cities, and when they get to Rome the duck once again behaves in his usual unpredictable fashion, and as per usual their visit is full of surprises. You never can be sure what is going to happen next when the duck is around.
In this book, the delightful characters and clever, understated humor complement one another to give readers a story that they are sure to enjoy.
