#84 of 1001 · October 23, 2020

The book of the day is Fiona French’s Matteo. In this amusing original tale set in Renaissance Florence, a wealthy aristocrat, miffed by a slight from a master sculptor, invites him to a banquet where all the guests pretend to recognize the artisan as a local wool merchant who owes the noble a great sum of money. So successful is the patrician’s prank that the sculptor briefly questions his own sanity, but he soon recognizes the joke and all is well. Though she sets the two characters in opposition to one another, French portrays neither as truly malicious: the craftsman simply speaks brusquely to the rich lord, who in turn devises a rather mild and affable retaliation. The illustrations, replete with careful period detail, pay homage to the grand architecture and design of Renaissance Italy. #fionafrench #sculptor #sculpture #reinassance #italy #italian #florence #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks