Pippo the Fool

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was finally finished! All but the dome, that is. With no idea how a chancel forty-two meters across was to be covered, the city fathers of Florence decided to hold a contest, inviting all the great master builders to compete for the honor of designing the dome. Filippo Brunelleschi - known as "Pippo the Fool" because of his many odd inventions - decided to enter, and despite the jeers of some of his competitors (Lorenzo Ghiberti chief amongst them), his design was the winner, producing an artistic and technological wonder well ahead of its time, and proving once and for all that Pippo was no fool...

An engaging picture-book that both entertains and educates, Tracey E. Fern's Pippo the Fool is an show more ideal choice for young children with an interest in art and architecture, or in the history of the Renaissance. I enjoy stories in which the underdog triumphs, particularly when they are factual, and appreciated Pau Estrada's beautiful watercolor and gouache illustrations. This is one title that elementary school art teachers, as well as children's libraries, will want to obtain. show less

Characters: Filippo (Pippo) Brunelleschi, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, townspeople of Florence, judges

Setting: Florence, Italy

Theme: Building the Dome on the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiorie

Genre: Historical Fiction – Children’s

Golden quote (optional): “I would truly be a fool to allow my pride to be bigger than my dome.”

Summary: A contest to design and build a dome over the cathedral in Florence will award money to the winner. Filippo (Pippo) is a goldsmith but prefers to design machines. He is considered foolish with his time designing his machines and earns the name “Pippo the Fool.” Pippo designs a dome to take to the judges. When he talks with Lorenzo (a sculptor) and reveals his plan, Lorenzo scoffs at him. Lorenzo show more and Pippo take their plans to the judges. Lorenzo’s plan is rejected as is Pippo’s. Pippo is summarily thrown out onto the street. Pippo is not to be thwarted and proceeds to build a model which the judges approve. The judges have one proviso that Lorenzo has to help Pippo. Pippos does all the work until he is ill and it is revealed that Lorenzo did nothing. Lorenzo is fired, Pippo resumes work, and 16 years later is finished. The town and judges are so happy, they rename Pippo the Fool to Pippo the Genius.

Audience: Kindergarten through 4th grade

Curriculum ties: Cathedrals, buildings, Italian history, perseverance

Awards (optional):

Personal response: I had to read this book. Florence is my second most favorite place (thus far) on the planet (first place goes to Paris). Having climbed all the steps up the top of the dome, this book now holds a special spot in my heart. The graphics are beautiful and almost feel like the 15th century. I did not know the story of the dome builder and this was a pleasant surprise. At the end of the book is historical information and the timeline for the building the dome. “Pippo” died shortly after the corner stone was placed but will be forever remembered for his excellent design. I can see how children would enjoy the story and the illustrations. Older grades (middle school) could springboard into other areas of interest (famous Italians, buildings, cathedrals, clothing, food, etc) of Italy. show less

I truly liked the writing style that the author uses. The author uses a style in which it is engaging and organizing. The author takes a topic that can be boring, art history in Florence, and made it interesting. I like that the author did not overload with a lot of information about the Cathedral that was built but rather told a story about how it came to be. I also like the point of view that is used in the book. It is written more in first person but then switches back to a narration. The author does not confuse the two voices; they are kept very clear and separate. When first person is used Pippo says, "They will not look at me as Pippo the Fool but instead Pippo the Genius." It is interesting that even though someone is speaking show more the author mixes in a use of talking about oneself in third person. There are two main messages in this story. The first is obvious, which is to explain the history behind the making of a famous Cathedral in Florence. There is a second underlying message here that even though someone might not think you can do something you need to believe in yourself and prove that you can accomplish the task at hand. show less

The people of Florence wanted their cathedral to be complete, to be crowned with a beautiful dome. They initiated a contest. Many tried to design a dome, but all were failures until Pippo the Fool appeared. Pippo was the object of derision to many, but his design was flawless. It took Pippo many years to complete his work, but it was spectacular when finished.This is the kind of story that we adult nonfiction readers crave these days, what we call a piece of nonfiction that reads like a story. Children crave it, too, I think. Pippo the Fool is a lovely story, with excellent complementary illustrations.A bit:'Finally the judges turned to Pippo's plans. They could not believe their eyes. Surely this was the craziest idea yet! Pippo's dome show more seemed to float over the cathedral like a great balloon. It had no columns, no earth, no scaffolding to support it."How do you plan to build such a dome?" the judges asked. "What will hold it up?"Pippo would not tell. He was worried that Lorenzo would steal his idea.' show less

Pippo the Fool wants to enter a contest to create the new design for a cathedral in Italy. After convincing the judges that his idea is the best, he gets to work. The judges tell Pippo that he must share half the credit with another architect who doesn't do any work. When Pippo falls ill and work stops completely on the cathedral, everyone realizes that Pippo has done all the work all along and is a genius. Beautiful illustrations in the style of the Italian Renaissance complement this rendering of a true story. Author includes a nice historical note about the real Pippo. For grades 4 and up. Contains some challenging vocabulary and Italian words.

Based on the true store of Filippo Brunelleschi, an Italian Architect in the 1400s, this story describes the building of the great dome on The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The main character is nicknamed Pippo the Fool in the town because he spends his time making useless objects. However, when there is a contest to build the dome on the Cathedral, Pippo beats all the other famous architects, and wins the job. This book shows how determination and believing in yourself will help you to do great things, and not to let pride get in the way of following your dreams

Teaching Extension:
Have you ever had a nickname that is not accurate of who you were? How did you prove to others that you are much more than a silly nickname?

Pippo the fool twll the story of a young architect with he dream of building the biggest dome ever built. Pippo is known as the crazy guys in town because is always proposing absurd ideas. When Pippo show his blueprints for his design to the higher authorities they laugh and ridicule him. Pippo does not let this discourage him and immediately get to work on a model of his design. Once he completed his model and showed his design again it was agreed that they would allow him to attempt the construction. Pippo completed his Dome and it stood proudly in the middle of the town for all to see. the central message of this story is that when you passionate about something you should never let others affect you. When hard work and passion meet show more positive results are likely to occur. show less