A Letter to the Boys and Girls
_Dear Boys and Girls:_
_The Sunbonnet Babies think Italy is the nicest country they have everseen, excepting of course their own dear America. I wonder if you willagree with them when you read all about what they did and what theysaw in that sunny, happy land._
_To be sure, in the little country of Holland they saw great greenpastures where thousands of fine cows were feeding, and fields andfields of beautiful tulips, and miles and miles of canals, and tallwindmills pumping water or grinding grain._
_They visited quaint little villages where the people dressed in odd,pretty costumes, and they had happy times playing with the Dutchchildren. But they did not see a mountain or even a high hill in allHolland, and there were no lovely, woodsy lakes like those they knewin America._
_The Overall Boys have told them about the wonderful mountains and thedark forests and the beautiful lakes which they saw in Switzerland._
_But the Sunbonnet Babies saw all these things in Italy, too, and,what is more, they saw a beautiful, beautiful city surrounded bylovely, blue water, with miles of water streets flowing through it._
_Then they visited another city which, many, many years before, hadbeen buried by hot lava and ashes thrown out from a volcano near by.One day they walked across the crater of another volcano andsaw hot, boiling sand almost at their feet._
_They took long, beautiful drives through the country and along theseashore. They explored a great cave under the Humpbacked Island, andhad an exciting experience with two pirates._
_But they enjoyed best of all their many little tea parties from sunnyCapri to the City in the Sea. Nearly every afternoon they sat by asmall table under an orange tree, or beside the blue water, or on acity sidewalk, and had nice things to eat and drink._
_The people were always kind to them and the sky was nearly alwayssunny. It is a land of sunshine and flowers and fruit, like our ownsunny Florida, though Italy is much more beautiful. It is hardly twicethe size of Florida, but nearly one-third as many people live there aslive in the whole of our great United States. It is a crowded, happy,lovely country, and Molly and May will never forget their wonderfuljourney through it._
_Sincerely your friend_, EULALIE OSGOOD GROVER
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE FOR ITALIAN WORDS
KEY TO DIACRITICAL MARKS
[=a] as in ale [^a] as in care [:a] as in arm [=e] as in eve [vi] as in ill [=o] as in old [.vo] as in soft [=oo] as in food [~n] as in ca[~n]on
_addio_ ([:a]d d[=e]'[.vo])
_Anacapri_ ([:a] n[:a] k[:a]'pr[=e])
_Anita mia_ ([:a] n[=e]'t[:a] m[=e]'[:a])
_buon giorno_ (bw[.vo]n j[.vo]r'n[.vo])
_Capri_ (k[:a]'pr[=e])
_Giorgio_ (j[.vo]r'j[.vo])
_grazie_ (gr[:a]d'z[vi] [=a])
_il padre_ ([=e]l p[:a]'dr[=a])
_Luisa_ (l[=oo] [=e]'s[:a])
_Maria_ (m[:a] r[=e]'[:a])
_piazza_ (p[=e] [:a]d'z[:a])
_Pietro_ (p[=e] [^a]'tr[.vo])
_Pippo_ (p[vi]p'p[.vo])
_polenta_ (p[=o] l[^a]n't[:a])
_Pompeii_ (p[.vo]m p[^a]'[=e])
_Ponte Vecchio_ (p[.vo]n't[=a] v[^a]k'k[vi] [.vo])
_Rialto_ (r[=e] [:a]l't[.vo])
_Salerno_ (s[:a] l[^a]r'n[.vo])
_si signor_ (s[=e] s[=e][~n][.vo]r')
_signora_ (s[=e] [~n][.vo]r [:a])
_signorina_ (s[=e] [~n][.vo]r [=e]'n[:a])
_signorine_ (s[=e] [~n][.vo]r [=e]'n[=a])
_Solfatara_ (s[.vo]l f[:a] t[:a]'r[:a])
_Sorrento_ (s[=o]r r[^a]n't[.vo])
_tarantella_ (t[:a] r[:a]n t[^a]l'l[:a])
_Trevi_ (tr[=a]'v[=e])
_Tessa mia_ (t[^a]s s[:a] m[=e]'[:a])
_una lira_ ([=oo]'n[:a] l[=e]'r[:a])
_un soldo_ ([=oo]n s[=o]l'd[.vo])
Oh, Italy's land is a wonderful land, And we're all of us glad that we came, We've seen Florence and Naples and Venice and Rome, And sights too many to name.
But the place we like best in all the wide world, Is our Homeland across the blue sea, And so we'll go back to the Stars and the Stripes. To the flag that protects you and me.]
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends