Leo Politi’s Song of the Swallows (1948) is for readers who value old books. Old stories give readers a glimpse into history and encourage conversation about differences between then and now. This book includes two songs.
The setting for this story is
Capistrano, California, now called San Juan Capistrano. This story says Brothers
of Saint Francis built many mission churches with “the help of the Indians”. This
perspective will spark conversation from readers who view history differently.
Politi captures a time when swallows
were abundant at the mission. “There were hundreds of them nesting beneath the
roof-beams above the arches and their twittering filled the gardens with the
sweetest music.” Here the story invites research into bird migration,
environmental change, and avian conservation.
Young Juan bridges contrasts between past and present by demonstrating caring respect for the swallows. We need his role model now more than ever.
My Picture Book Talk for this story is here.
