Pippo the fool by Tracey E Fern illustrated by Pau Estrada

If you are taking a holiday to far away destinations in Europe consider reading this book first.  It will give a child in grades 2-5 a better appreciation of the amazing architecture they will encounter on your travels.

Pippo lives in Florence.  A competition is announced - "To design a dome for the cathedral".

Little Pippo - who is known as Pippo the fool loves to sketch amazing structures and intricate machines.  Pippo knows if he can win this competition it will mean he can loose his awful nickname but he has a serious rival - Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Pippo shows that hard work, self belief, determination and above all creative thinking are the best ways to solve a problem.  While Lorenzo struts around the city boasting and taunting Pippo, he simply gets on with the job.

Pippo the fool is based on the true story of the man who designed and built the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore.  There are details at the back of this book about his life and also notes from the illustrator which are well worth reading. If you need to know a little more about the plot for Pippo the Fool take a look at this detailed review. The author also has a web site.