Danilo the Fruit Man - Hardcover

Valens, E. G.

4

7 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803711522 ISBN 13: 9780803711525

Publisher: Dial, 1993

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Vibrant folk-style illustrations help recount the story of Danilo the Sicilian fruit man who stumbles upon a park where a wondrous fruit grows that he thinks will make him rich.

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From Publishers Weekly:

In this delightful tale of Sicily, Danilo is a simple man, content to travel familiar streets and sell oranges to townsfolk he knows. One day, happening on a street he has never noticed before, he finds a magical tree laden with red, pink and blue fruit. "Could I grow trees of such fruit?" Danilo asks an old man nearby. His cryptic reply propels the story toward its happy ending: " Primo, primo --First you must not need them / Secondo --Second, they must be free / Finalmente , you'll only grow them / From a seed you cannot see." Danilo takes a cartload of the fruit into town to sell, but he finds they have all turned into rocks. The following spring, Danilo has resumed selling oranges; when magical fruit trees of his own appear Danilo shares the produce freely. Engaging and wise, this story bears rereading. The sunny pictures are awash with color, and, with a cartoonish style reminiscent of the classic Caps for Sale , Valens's pictures dance across the pages with charming abandon. Each picture is framed with border patterns derived from Sicilian horse carts. Included is a glossary of Italian words and their pronunciation. Bravo! Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Danilo, a Sicilian fruit man, happily makes his living selling large oranges from his traditional island cart. One day he discovers a secret garden full of fantastic magical fruit, and his adventure begins. The decorative red borders of Valens's illustrations are reminders of the Sicilian folk-art style of the carretta , the brightly painted, horse-drawn cart. Tiny watercolor drawings and colored papers lend a whimsical, simpatico atmosphere to an otherwise lackluster story. --Anna Biagioni Hart, Sherwood Regional Library, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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