Bantam of the Opera

From School Library Journal

Grade 2 Up. When a farmer and his wife decide to see a touring production of Rigoletto, they are not aware that Luigi the singing rooster has hitched a ride in the back of their truck. It's a one-way trip for Luigi, who becomes so enamored of the opera that he decides to stay. His singing enrages the famous tenor, Enrico Baldini, but the feisty fowl cannot contain his joy. Auch's richly colored illustrations fill the pages, suiting the opera motif to a tee. Luigi, like Auch's other poultry stars, becomes a real character, overflowing with emotional turmoil, bursting with song, a great tenor in the making. The text, brimming with jokes, puns, and alliteration, compounds the delicious humor of the artwork. Shower singers will have a ball sharing this book in storytime. It will bring down the house with every repeat performance. Ann Cook, Winter Park Public Library, FL