In 1913, an Englishman by the name of Charles Hudson entered one of his pigeons in a long-distance race from Rome. Against the expectations of all the naysayers, and despite a terrible storm on the day of the race, Charlie's pigeon made it home: a return that became a symbol of hope to his working-class community. Immortalized in song a few decades later by Dave Sudbury, the tale of King of Rome has been performed by singers from June Tabor to Garnet Rogers. Here it is used as the text in Canadian Hans Saefkow's debut picture-book.

"In the West End of Derby lived a working man. He said, I can't fly, but my pigeons can." And so begins a lovely little book, with beautiful pencil and crayon illustrations that perfectly capture the greyness of Derby, the glory of flight, and the possibility of hope: "Yeah, I know, but I had to try. You see, a man can crawl around, or he can fly." A thoughtful meditation on the importance of dreaming, King of Rome will also introduce young readers to a wonderful song! ( )