Renato and the Lion

April 17, 2017
DiLorenzo’s debut follows a Florentine boy who has to leave behind a beloved statue when war breaks out. Renato’s father cleans the statues of Florence; Renato’s favorite is the life-size lion in the Piazza della Signoria. When soldiers march into the city, Renato runs to protect the lion, but he doesn’t have the time or ability to make a brick enclosure for it like the ones being made for other statuary. In a sequence that forms the story’s emotional heart, Renato dreams that the lion carries him home under starry midnight skies: “They walked by the fountain of Neptune, across the Vasari Corridor, over the Ponte Vecchio.” DiLorenzo lavishes attention on Florence’s architectural treasures, and her buildings glow with warmth. Renato and his family sail to the U.S. and settle in New York City; only when Renato becomes a grandfather is he able to return to Florence and see his lion again. DiLorenzo’s story is simultaneously a historical account of a family’s emigration and a dream story about the power of great art. Ages 5–7.

April 15, 2017
A white Italian boy emigrates from Florence to New York during World War II, leaving a beloved stone lion behind in the Piazza della Signoria.Growing up with art "around every corner, and in every piazza, and in the museum where his father worked," Renato greets his leonine favorite each morning before school, saying "buona sera" as he and his father walk home each night. Tense signs of war appear, with occupying soldiers speaking "a language Renato didn't understand." When Renato's father reveals that precious sculptures such as Michelangelo's David are being encased in protective brick enclosures, the boy dashes away, trying to use bricks to shield his lion. In a poignant dream sequence, Renato rides the lion throughout the city. Just before their family's departure, Renato's father shows him that the lion has indeed been protected with bricks. Years later, white-haired Renato observes his granddaughter's connection with a marble lion at the New York Public Library, which engenders a full-circle trip back to Florence. DiLorenzo's often lovely watercolors are best when capturing nature. The endpapers' sun-washed Florence and Renato's dream-ride over the moonlit Ponte Vecchio are lovely. Figural depictions are less successful: Renato and his dad lack visual continuity from spread to spread, and the lion, when viewed from above, is awkwardly foreshortened. DiLorenzo's careful research yields a touching tale about art's ability to deeply affect both adults and children. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-Renato's father repairs sculptures during World War II, so it is not surprising that the boy has a favorite piece in his Florentine neighborhood: the Medici lion in the Piazza della Signoria. When the two pass the exterior version of Michelangelo's David-and the child sees an enormous brick dome instead-his father points to soldiers, explaining the need for protective measures. Concerned about his stone lion, Renato hastens to build his own brick enclosure. He falls asleep on the beast, dreaming that they explore the city together. Eventually, Renato and his family board a boat for America and a new life. As a grandfather, Renato is prompted to relay his story to his granddaughter while passing the New York Public Library lions; the two visit Florence to view his old friend. DiLorenzo clearly has a passion for Italy. Acknowledgements and an author's note explain the extent of her vetting and research. The writing is peppered with awkwardness and repetition: "He loved the people there. And the food there. But he especially loved the art there." Many of the soft-focus watercolors are lovely-the ride across the Ponte Vecchio and various perspectives of the Duomo-but some of the lion's expressions and postures are less successful. Driven by the notion of safeguarding art during military conflict, this debut portrays a wartime reality that is not commonly addressed. VERDICT A special book and additional purchase that is best shared one-on-one.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2017
Grades K-2 *Starred Review* Young Renato enjoys living in Florence, Italy, where his father works as a museum guard and beautiful art abounds. But trouble is near (soldiers march in the streets, and military planes streak across the sky), and Renato learns that his father has been erecting barriers around valuable sculptures to protect them from anticipated bombings. Alarmed that his own favorite statue might be destroyed, Renato begins building a brick wall around the stone lion in the Piazza della Signoria. He's interrupted by soldiers, falls asleep in hiding, and awakens to a magical ride through the city on the lion's back, just before he and his family depart for America. Although fiction, this story is filled with true details. Italians did protect their artistic treasures in the days before WWII, and the USAT Henry Gibbons, which here transports Renato to America, made a similar journey in 1943. DiLorenzo's striking watercolors pay homage to Florence (both artistically and architecturally) while also depicting Renato's innocence about the coming hostilities. Particularly appealing are the endpapers (depicting a city overview) and the contemporary scenes that close the story. Appended with information detailing the author's research, this love letter to Florence should spur diverse conversations, from art to history to the plight of refugees.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)