Product Description

While visiting a great aunt in Venice, Zoe Sophia gets caught up in a suspenseful search for her lost dog. "The book offers bits of information, appealing characters, and a sense of the majesty and grandeur of Italy's palaces and piazzas; it will interest armchair and authentic travelers alike." -School Library Journal Ages 3-7

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #380540 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-16
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .37 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-Using the popular diary format, this travelogue takes its spunky nine-year-old heroine and her dachshund from Manhattan to visit her great-aunt in Venice. They tour museums, shop for masks, ride a gondola, and observe a glassblower. Double-page watercolor-and-ink illustrations, as well as smaller framed "snapshots," are at once aesthetically pleasing and comical. Suspense is introduced when Zoe's dog disappears, but gondolier Ludovico saves the day in an endearing scene involving concerned faces stained with spaghetti al nero. The book offers bits of information, appealing characters, and a sense of the majesty and grandeur of Italy's palaces and piazzas; it will interest armchair and authentic travelers alike. Removing the dust jacket reveals a labeled map on the cover. Pair this title with Christina Bjork's Vendela in Venice (R & S, 1999), Candace Fleming's Gabriella's Song (Atheneum, 1997), or the Classical Kids CD Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery for further insights into the city's charms.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 1-4. In this picture book for older children, bright, nine-year-old Manhattanite Zoe Sophia and her dachshund travel to Italy for a week to visit with slightly bohemian Great-aunt Dorothy. Delightfully balancing colorful, cartoon images of bespectacled humans, their grinning pets, and such Venetian backdrops as the opera, with a nearly breathless commentary accurately reflecting the viewpoint of artistic Zoe, the authors have created a hit for Marissa Moss' fans that other youngsters will like as well. Strong female characters, fun with "real" art and artists (as in the page devoted to Chagall), a little bit of worry when the dog goes missing, and the pervading scent of gingersnaps make for a story that is both cheerful and substantial. Zoe Sophia is a charmer, and her trip to Venice unfolds with just enough adventure and information to satisfy her peers. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

School Library Journal
"The book offers bits of information, appealing characters, and a sense of the majesty and grandeur of Italy's palaces and piazzas; it will interest armchair and authentic travelers alike."