Ciao, Sandro!: A Picture Book

by Steven Varni, Luciano Lozano (Contributor)

The picture book Ciao, Sandro! follows the adventures of a lovable Venetian dog as he explores the streets and canals of his beloved city on a special mission.

Meet Sandro!

As the loyal first mate to gondolier Nicola, Sandro knows everything about his home, the beautiful city of Venice. Sandro and Nicola go everywhere together. But today, Sandro is venturing out on his own for the first time. He is on a very important secret mission!
What is Sandro up to? And what friends will he meet along the way?

This charming story from author Steven Varni and illustrator Luciano Lozano follows a dog-about-town (based on a real canine!) on a journey to a heartwarming surprise—teaching young readers all about Venice as he goes! The backmatter includes a glossary of Italian words and a pronunciation guide.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Travel, Childrens, Friendship, Dogs, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Courtney Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable and I read this for a prompt for the summer Olympics to have the country of Italy (for volleyball winner one) and it was perfect for that - so very authentic and adorable. The pictures were beautiful and the story was solid.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love the city of Venice, this is the book for you. It celebrates all the wonderful things that make Venice unique and spectacular. The actual story is a little weak and I didn't love the illustration style but having been to Venice several times, I loved the reminder of some wonderful memories.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a dog who wants to make sure his master has a very good day. He goes wandering off, traipsing across Venice to see his favorite people and make sure all is set for later. This book was fun and the illustrations are a great complement.

[Mindy Alyse Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the adorable pup is the perfect tour guide through Venice—it was fun following his pawprints to beautiful places I’d love to visit one day. I even learned a few Italian words.

[Jenn Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. Love Sandro. Love Venice. Love his adventures. Even though I predicted the "surprise" ending, still charming.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Venetian gondolier Nicola and his first-mate, Sandro, a loving and loyal dog Nicola rescued, have a great life ferrying tourists along the canals of their city. Usually, Sandro is right by Nicola's side as he works. But on this particular day, he steps off the gondola and moves around the city streets in search of Nicola's friends. Each of them greet him enthusiastically, and as readers eventually learn, Sandro has been on a mission to remind them of Nicola's birthday party. It's impressive that Sandro navigates the area with such ease, even knowing how to take a vaporetto to reach the glassblowers of Murano. The illustrations, created with watercolors, India ink, and an iPad Pro, showcase Venice to its advantage as well as the very good dog that is on an important mission to surprise his master. This picture book might be useful in sharing with students and encouraging them to make predictions about what's going to happen next as Sandro leaves each of the individuals he visits. The repeated greetings from all Sandro's stopping points tie the story together nicely.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's picture book. This book pulled me in right away with the adorable dog with the gondola on the cover. Sandro the dog is the title character, and he is a trusty sidekick to Nicola the gondolier. But today he is setting out to explore the city on his own, visiting friends on a secret mission. Though adults will probably be able to predict the ending, it could still be exciting for kids. But the setting of this story is the main appeal. Sandro confidently explores Venice and there are Italian words sprinkled throughout (the glossary appears in the back matter, with pronunciation guide). As Sandro dodges tourists, walks over the mosaic floor at Basilica di san Marco, stops at an espurgopozzineri boat, visits a floating fruit stand, boards a vaporetto, and stops at a glassblowing shop, the city comes to life before the reader's eyes. A fun story for those who love dogs, travel, and language learning.

[Cristina Raymer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What better way for a child to be introduced to Venetian culture than through the eyes of a dog! Sandro is on a mission and his mission takes children along the alleyways of Venice, through the beautiful mosaic tiles of San Marco Basilica, along the lovely streets of Murano, and into the famous glass factory. With Luciano Lozano's fun illustrations and Steven Varni's use of Italian words interspersed throughout the story, children will not only fall in love with this lovable dog, but with Venice itself!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandro is a dog with lots of experience riding on the gondolas in Venice in the picture book Ciao, Sandro! by Steven Varni and Luciano Lozano. Explore Venice with Sandro as we follow him through the town interacting with all the interesting people he knows. Colorful illustrations give parents lots of ways to prompt questions and natural discussion about what is happening in the story with their children, giving them vital practice in sentence construction and interpretation of stories. For ages 4 - 7.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little puppy explores Venice reminding his human neighbors about a birthday surprise for his gondolier owner, Nicola. I think the big charm here are all the details of Venice and the homey sense of community. Handy if you want to feel like you're on a vacation to Italy! This is a bit more information heavy/texty, so I probably wouldn't use it for preschoolers, but a bit older would enjoy it.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandro is the canine companion of a gondolier named Nicola, a person that conducts boat rides throughout the city of Venice. Normally Sandro joins Nicola on the job, but today he's got important things to do in the city! I highly recommend joining Sandro on a four-legged trip through Venice to visit all of his human friends as they work together to prepare something special!

[Meliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for bilingual books. This one is very light on the Italian, but it is present in a way that all word meanings can be figured out through context clues. The book uses descriptive language to tell the story, alongside detailed imagery. It would be a useful book for a lesson on inferencing.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sando, the faithful first mate to gondolier Nicola, leaves for the day on an important and secret mission. Follow this faithful pup as he follows his nose to complete his mission through the calli and campi, of Venice.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely introduction to Venice and Italian! Really a delightful little tour.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I read a digital ARC of this title from the publisher.

[clivey · Rating 3 out of 5]

(more 3.5 stars) just a fun book following a clever dog around Venice; you get views of the city and a bit of Italian thrown in, too

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable and had interesting information about living in Venice.

[kim baccellia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovable gondolier's dog takes readers on a quick-paced trip through Venice.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this tale of a dog on a mission in Venice, Italy

[Deanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really cute story! I loved the art and the variety of people in the background as well!

[SamSamSam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Sandro

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about a dog who goes on an adventure in Venice. Perfect for dog lovers and those who would want to learn a little bit of Italian.