Emanuel di Pasquale was born in Sicily in 1943 and grew up there. When he was a baby, his father died, and later he had to drop out of school and work in a bakery to help feed his family. At 13 he came to America, where he eventually became a teacher. But he never forgot his homeland, an island with a rugged beauty, rich in history and tradition, family life and festivals. This evocative collection of poems is di Pasquale's tribute to his native country. The author's childhood was a time of wonder and adventure recorded here in brief, stirring images of village life -- waking up at dawn to see a hawk circling the sky, feeling baby crabs scuttle over his sandy toes, and stumbling over stone tools resting where they were left by a people who vanished thousands of years ago. These poems bring Sicily to life, weaving words into music that remains with the reader. K. Dyble Thompson's sensitive black-and-white illustrations accompany the lyrical text.