Song of the Swallows

by Leo Politi

Every summer, the swallows leave San Juan Capistrano and fly far away, to a peaceful green island-but they always come back in the spring, on St. Joseph's Day. Juan loves las golondrinas, and so does his friend, Julian, the gardener at the mission.

This year Juan plants a garden in his own yard. There's nothing he wants more than for the swallows to nest there. And on St. Joseph's Day, his dream comes true.

Leo Politi is beloved author and illustrator of Pedro, The Angel of Olvera Street, among many other books for children. Song of the Swallows won the Caldecott Medal in 1950.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Birds, Nature, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Leo Politi was born in California and spent most of his childhood in Italy. He was an artist and children's book author. He was especially drawn toward Mexican themes.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful story about a family that honors the swallows in a village in Latin America. They love watching the birds grow and learn to fly and are sad when they fly away. They rejoice when the birds return.

The book is about living in harmony with nature and loving our surroundings and the things that make life beautiful. Several pages had a lot of text in this. The illustrations were beautiful.

The kids are starting to rate books now that my niece is in a summer reading program and they gave this a 2. They thought it was ok.

[Book Concierge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely picture book tells the story of the Swallows of Capistrano, who return each year on St Joseph’s Day, to build their nests and have new chicks.

Juan is a boy who loves to wander the gardens of the mission, who are tended by Julian. The older man teaches the boy the song of the swallows, calling them by their Spanish name las golondrinas. Helping Julian in the gardens, and watching his beloved swallows, Juan learns about nature and the cycle of life. Julian also tells him a little of the history of the Spanish missionaries who built the mission with the help of the native people, and in return taught the Indians several skills, such as making shoes, or milling grain.

The detailed illustrations are beautifully rendered. Full of the soft light of a summer evening, they give me the same feeling of peace as a walk through a garden. I can practically smell the roses, and hear the tinkle of the fountain or the twitter of the birds.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up being quite taken with Song of the Swallows. Such a gentle, sweet story with lovely, heartfelt illustrations. While it wasn't a story that necessarily "wowed" me as I was reading it, I have found myself thinking of it fondly throughout the day, it having touched both my heart (the friendship between the boy and the older man, the gentle earnestness of Juan as he became more and more interested in the swallows, eventually wanting to help make them at home in his own yard) and my mind (the phenomenon of the swallows returning on the same day every year, and the (to my mind, anyway) sensitive portrayal of Hispanic-Americans). I was also interested in learning more about Politi, especially when I saw that his other titles looked multicultural.

I did feel uncomfortable with how the Native Americans were discussed--it sounded as if they were glad to be helping out at the Mission, and that the Mission was so wonderful in taking care of them. Though I'm sure the story would be different if told by a Native American, I try to remind myself that this was written in the '40s, and by a devout Catholic who probably truly believed in what he was writing. And the positive portrayal of the Hispanic-American characters, in a time when there were few books featuring them, as well as the sweet and thoughtful boy, made a deeply positive impression on me overall (though I do wish the part about the Native Americans was more sensitive to their perspective).

Here is a fairly recent article about the swallows of Capistrano, including a few photos of the mission. You can find much more, including about the annual festivities, by doing a Google search. http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/anim...

I admit I looked up Politi on Wikipedia first, and was interested enough in what I read to seek out more. He sounded like a truly caring and interesting individual. Here is his official family website: http://leopolitifamily.com/ (be sure to click to the Postcard collection to see more of his artwork as he was quite prolific beyond picture books). And a website dedicated to his centennial (in 2008): http://www.leopoliti2008centennial.org/

I've also ordered the biography Leo Politi: Artist of the Angels.

Unfortunately, my library only has a few of his other picture books but I will keep my eyes open at used book sales. He's definitely an author/illustrator I would like to read more of as his work truly touched me.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet tale about the migratory patterns of the swallows who come to Capistrano every spring on Saint Joseph's Day (right near the Vernal Equinox) to make their nests and have babies.

It's a touching story and the illustrations are nice, too. Although the tale was published more than sixty years ago, it doesn't feel out of date. A timeless tale to celebrate the coming of Spring and the swallows.

This book was selected as one of the books for the July 2014 - Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caldecott Medal, 1950

Art Media: Tempera

Favorite illustration: pages 11-12

Favorite line: "The swallows were very much like little folks who had been on a long journey and were happy to be home again."

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the inside cover of this book reads " To my dear friend Cissy with all best wishes from Juan and me- Leo Politi 1965. My aunt was 10 years old when Mr. Politi signed her book and he included a picture of a swallow with the inscription. Because my aunt is my daughter's namesake and passed away at 22 years of age, anything that belonged to her is incredibly special to me. This is a charming little book that talks about the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano. It includes beautiful pictures and even music and lyrics to songs. It is especially meaningful to me since I spent my childhood in California and would visit the Spanish missions and learn their history in school. It has been sitting on my shelf for years and my dear friend Jeana picked it up and brought it back to life for me. It's an incredible thing when a book is alive, isn't it?

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you know that St. Joseph's feast day is on March 19? Are you looking for a story or read-aloud for it? This book about Juan who awaits the return of the swallows in San Juan Capistrano, California by making a garden (similar to the ones found in the Mission San Juan Capistrano) is just the book for you.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The portions about the swallows were nice enough as were the illustrations. However, there are some portions that are simply cringe-inducing. The location is the Mission San Juan Capistrano in California, built around 1775-1776 or thereabouts.
Obviously, we now better understand that these missions didn't really give very much to the natives, certainly not as much as they took away. It feels a bit inaccurate to say that the mission helped the natives in any way. The whole point was to convert the natives into good, tax-paying Spanish citizens. The mission fell into ruin about 40 years later due to falling birth rates, disease and so on; that doesn't sound like improved circumstances to me.
What is a bit fascinating, is that this book was written right around the end of some of the major restoration work done on the mission. So, the book itself is a bit historical at this point.

I have to ding it a bit for it's lack of perspective, but, if you can ignore the portions dealing with natives the storyline about the swallows is cute enough.

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

1950 Caldecott Medal. Favorite Illustration: When Juan and Julian are feeding the pigeons in the mission garden.
Every day on the way to and from school, Juan stops at the mission at Capistrano to visit with the gardener and see the birds. His favorites are the swallows.
This is another charming story by Leo Politi featuring the Latino history and culture of Southern California. I enjoyed this one more than the other two I've read: Juanita and Pedro The Angel Of Olvera Street. I thought the faith of Juan that the birds would return and the simple lessons taught by the gardener were simple and sweet.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another book where the illustrations really got my attention and the text really did not. The subject matter - the swallows’ yearly return to Capistrano - interested me somewhat because my dad used to talk about that when I was a kid, but the story didn’t really stick with me. What I did like was the artist’s use of bright springtime colors and the fact that the music for the songs Juan and the other kids sing is included right in the book. I also think it’s important to have books like this, that teach children about other cultures and the feasts and events that are significant to those cultures. This book isn’t especially dated and could still be relevant today.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is one I would have enjoyed in our earlier days of homeschooling. Here is a story with history, science, language, art... so much to offer. The music is included with the songs that tell about the swallows returning to Capistrano. The tale has strong Hispanic elements, and even some words in Spanish introduced gently with the translation. There's talk about birds, about gardens, nesting habits...I loved this. Especially how everything linked through the boy and the gardener. I'm happy I stumbled on this one in my Caldecott reading!

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great educational book for your children over the preschool age. My 6 yr old loved it. Lots of good information with beautiful pictures that will help keep children engaged. A great addition to any children's library.

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph’s journey is an inspiration to students in our classroom.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little boy loves tending the gardens, and with excitement awaits the arrive of the swallows.

Ages: 5 - 9

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

Visit my website!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are just beautiful in this book. The two page illustration of the Mission church just took my breath away and I wanted to retreat inside these pages.

The story is about a boy who falls in love with the swallows and makes his own garden so they will come and live with him. The story is a wordy one so this may be better for your older children then your younger ones.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 1 out of 5]

A boy hangs out with a gardener at the Mission and talks about swallows....yes it was incredibly boring.

I didn't connect with this one on any level. It is very wordy, there isn't much of a story, and the illustrations felt very mediocre.

Another Caldecott winner that has me scratching my head.

[Marti (Letstalkaboutbooksbaybee) · Rating 3 out of 5]

1950 Caldecott winner

2.5⭐️

The parts about the swallows were nice. But some questionable revisionist history here re: native americans

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Song of the Swallows is the 1950 Caldecott Award winner. I just simply did not like the story. I thought it was quite boring and the illustrations were just ok.

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stance and movements of the child are so weird, like he's a malfunctioning robot.

[Patricia Gower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multicultural Literature

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Multi-cultural/ Realistic Fiction
Award: Caldecott Medal
Lexile: 620 Grade Level: 3.5

Summary:
This book is about named Juan who finds an attachment to these particular birds called swallows. He watches the swallows grow and learn daily from an egg to becoming adult birds. Like all birds, swallows fly south in the winter, but this saddens Juan. He misses the swallows and the sounds of their songs. Finally, winter ends and he prepares for the swallows to return. He becomes worrisome when the swallows did not arrive on time. Suddenly, he sees black specks far away which turn out to be the swallows. He, then, sits, staring out the window, watching the swallows like he has always done.

Prompt Questions:
What do you think this story will be about?
Where does this story take place?
What do you infer about the culture?
Who are our main characters in the story?
How would you describe the Mission?
Why do you think the swallows are making so much noise?
How would you describe Juan's feelings towards the swallows?
Do you sing or listen to songs that make you think of someone or something you miss?
Do you think the swallows will return?
What do you the the black dots that Juan sees?

Critique: This book was incredibly sweet. I could see many children enjoying this book and being able to easily relate to it. Almost every child remembers a time they had seen a bird nest and care for baby birds. Then, one day, they may look out and see they are all gone. Not only do I enjoy how this book connects to young readers through nature, but I also enjoy how it introduces Spanish words and some Hispanic culture throughout the book. I will definitely have this book on my shelf and encourage students to read this book because it is a sweet story with high level thinking include. This was a great book.

Activity:
Setting: Students will draw a picture of the setting in the book. The will use the description from the text to help guide their drawings. Then, they will write a description of the setting, explaining what all is included in their picture.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the fact that an author with such splendid writing and illustrating skills has used them to create a book as moving and wonderful as this one.

Song of the Swallows is, in my view, perhaps the artistically greatest of all books that have ever won the Caldecott Medal. I'm blown away by the breathtaking panoramas that Leo Politi has so sensitively rendered, each one blooming from the page with the loveliness of a flower in first bloom. These drawings are deep and tender, capturing the regional majesty of San Juan Capistrano with faultless grace.

In the story we meet Juan, a boy who lives nearby the mission church in San Juan Capistrano, and Julian, the quiet gardener who rings the church's bells and tends its gardens. Julian introduces young Juan to the warm beauty of the scenes in the skies above as the swallows leave and return to San Juan Capistrano, in tandem with the changing seasons. Juan longs so much to attract the swallows to his own house in the village that he builds and begins to cultivate his own garden. What he really wants is to experience the love and friendship of the beautiful swallows for himself, and he gets his wish in an unforgettable way during the waning moments of St. Joseph's day when the swallows return to their home and bring cheer back to the gardens of San Juan Capistrano.

This book is a marvelous success in every way. It's the type of story that comes to mind for me when I think of a book that deserves to win the Caldecott Medal. Song of the Swallows is distinguished and teeming with life in its every facet, and I recommend it most fondly. I would give two and a half stars to this book.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written and illustrated by Leo Politi, Song of the Swallows is the story of a young boy from Capistrano, California, a mission village, and the swallows he loves who live there in the Spring. When first glancing at the cover, it looks old fashioned, and rightfully so, as it was published in 1948. However, the illustrations within still capture the story beautifully. Juan visits the mission his village was built around to meet with his friend Julian, the mission’s bell ringer. The two’s friendship centers on the swallows that live in the mission, and the illustration reflects the importance of the swallows. Full pages are painted in vivid colors to depict the lush spring in the mission, with swallows flying throughout, while pages with mostly narrative are painted in muted pinks and grays. During the autumn and winter months in the book, the seasons during which the swallows have migrated south, the colors are distinctly less vibrant. When the swallows return, so does the color, reflecting the joy of the villagers that the birds they love have returned. Politi uses tones of pink on each page, which I interpret as an illustration of the hope the swallows bring Juan, even in their absence.

This book could be used in class to introduce children to the Spanish language. Juan and Julian use some Spanish phrases, and after reading, the class could practice those Spanish phrases, and perhaps a few more, together. Teaching children other languages is so valuable, and this would be a simple and fun way to begin incorporating Spanish phrases, like "buenos dias" as Juan says in the book, into daily classroom life.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often find myself a bit disappointed with older Caldecott Medal winners. I think that's primarily because of the differences in art style between the mid-20th century and the post-2000s. Modern Caldecott winners tend to use the entire page for art, rather than a bit over half, as in this book. So much of the book is whitespace, and, while this makes sense for the publishing challenges of its day, it's not as appealing now.

This book has a LOT of text, though most of it is fairly simple. Still, I wouldn't say its simple enough for a child to read on their own. Especially since the book also incorporates musical scores, which very few young readers will understand. This book is meant for reading TO a child, not to be read BY a child. Which puts me off, a bit, since I feel like one of the cool parts of learning to read is coming back to old books and reading them on your own.

And, got to be honest, religious issues are a thing with me. Not just that there is a definite Christian bent in the writing, but also because of the oft-overlooked enslavement and torture of California natives in the Missions, done in the name of God.

Will most kids ever realize there's an issue with the Missions? Not likely, seeing as they get so much white-light coverage in the California school system. Bleh.

So, meh. Very meh. It's really going to depend on the individual, but, as for me, I won't be putting this on my shelves at home.

[Kiah Albritton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written and illustrated by Leo Politi, Song of the Swallows won the 1950 Caldecott Medal. This was my first read of the book; I really enjoyed the images in the book, and it was a beautiful balance of informative and entertaining. Also, I loved the Spanish words and phrases used throughout the book. The intended audience for this book is kindergarten-second grade children. Although, it’s not a chapter book, there are multiple paragraphs of text on most pages.I do think the text is too heavy for a kindergartener, but it would work well for early elementary. The illustrations are also age-appropriate, as they are detailed and substantiate the story. After examining the artwork, it appears Politi used watercolor because of the muted and blended colors. It looks like a black pen may have been used to do some of the outlining. Politi’s style is best described as a folk cartoon; there are clear elements of cartoon with a traditional Latinx influence. The muted artwork provides a good balance to the heavy passages of text without being too distracting. Each page is illustrated with images of the Juan, Julian, and the mesmerizing swallows, adding to the readers’ experience with the story. A Song of the Swallows is a great tool to teach young children about other cultures in literature. The Spanish phrases in the book would be great for my 4 year old sister who learns a new Spanish word or phrase everyday at preschool.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juan is fascinated by the swallows that fill the Mission garden in Capistrano, and he becomes even more intrigued when Julian, the mission's elderly bell ringer, tells him about the birds' migration to the South for the winter. He also reassures the boy that the birds will return next spring. Juan prepares his own garden in hopes that when the swallows return, they may visit his small house. Throughout the long winter months, Juan looks in the skies for birds, but they are nowhere in sight. finally, with the arrival of spring, the birds also arrive, and he and Julian joyously ring the bells to welcome them back. Most marvelous of all, two swallows nest near Juan's house. The illustrator alternates small sketches in dark tints and tones with double-page spreads simply blooming with color. This is a story that might cause young readers to reflect upon the amazing journeys birds take each year, flying to and from their northern homes to their southern homes. Like me, they will surely wonder how it is that they know to return to certain places. Interestingly, there is no mention of Juan's family, and it would appear that Julian has taken him under his wing when he visits the mission. The book also contains song lyrics and could be a good introduction to a thematic unit on community gardens or migration.

[Brittney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really cute. I especially loved the art that was incorporated into this book. It was about a little boy named Juan who is from a little village named Capistrano. This boy is friends with an older man named Julian who was the bell ringer of the Mission in town. This book then goes on to show the friendship between the two, and the curiosity and amusement that Juan has with the beautiful swallows that seem to be in the hundreds that hang around near the Mission. Juan loves to play and interact with the birds, and is sad when it is time for them to migrate in the fall. Juan would then make his own garden in hopes that the swallows would return back to him, and in the end of the story when it is Saint Joseph’s Day in the village, the swallows return to the village, and Juan is so happy. I liked this book and the illustrations a lot. I thought that the illustrations were beautiful, and were very intriguing to the eye. It was interesting that the pages varied from vibrant color to a neutral gray and brown color, and when Juan was thinking about the swallows, the pages were in color. While I liked the variation between dark and vibrant colors, the story felt drawn out. I felt myself getting disconnected in the end only because I felt that the story was going on a long time. Although the story felt long, the illustrations were great.

[Guadalupe Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song of the Swallows by Politi Leo
Genre: picture book, fiction Reading level:K-2 grade Format: good



Reading the book Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi I connected as a reader while I was reading this book because I was able to relate how birds are very important to the Hispanic culture. I liked how the book included songs that relates to the text. For example in how the text mentioned the swallows would leave the village in where Juan lived during the winter, but came back during St. Joseph’s Day. And the picture illustrations demonstrated the song and text by showing the swallows coming back to the village when it was spring and St. Joseph’s Day. Also the picture illustrations of the village in California where Juan and Julian live are well presented by having the different colors of flowers, the water fountain and all the decorations outside the village. By having all this detail in the picture illustrations engages the reader more especially if the student is more of a Hispanic heritage because they can relate to how wonderful it feel to be at the village. This book can be used in the classroom to give the diversity of students a background of the Hispanic culture.

[Nichole Petteruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite books I have read, I did enjoy it. The story is about a boy named Juan, and his friend Julian, who takes care of the garden and rings the bell outside of the mission in their small town. Julian tells Juan the story of the mission and explains how the Swallows come to the garden every St. Joseph's day. Juan enjoys listening to Julian's stories, and learns to love gardening and all of the birds as well, especially the swallows. I like that this book subtly introduces a new culture to it's readers with the story of the mission and the appreciation of the swallows felt in the small Mexican town in California, along with the celebration of St.Josephs day. The pictures are a lovely addition to the story, and the full two-page spreads incorporated really bring the words to life allowing the reader to fully imagine the town, the garden, and the swallows. Although I didn't personally connect with the book, I still found it to be a sweet story and was able to appreciate it along with the award-winning pictures.

[Emma Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juan lives in an old adobe home in Capistrano, California near the ocean. He enjoys the company of Julian, his village’s flowers, and the birds that came to visit. His favorite birds were las golondrinas, the swallows, who came to lay their eggs there every summer. His favorite part about the birds was when they taught the young to fly, because the baby birds were so cute and clumsy. Juan sings a song to them when they leave to fly south for the winter. Juan decides to plant a garden for the swallows when they arrive in the coming year. On St. Joseph's Day the following year Julian and Juan welcome the swallows back. The author and illustrator, Leo Politi, brings the story to life and gives us more insight into where Juan lives. Politi really puts the culture of the land into his art with a mixture of oil paintings and sketches. Politi uses mostly primary colors and browns to reflect Mayan culture. He even composes a “song of the swallows” in this children’s book. This book is a cultural masterpiece, and that is what Politi is known for.