Vulca the Etruscan

Robbie and his dog Pip are playing ball right next to that sacred and mysterious place--the Necropolis. A mighty kick from Robbie sends the ball flying over the hill and out of sight. Looking for it, the boy and Pip stumble across the entrance to a strangely painted Etruscan tomb. They go down the narrow, dark stairway and end up in a square room whose walls are covered with brightly-colored paintings of vases, leopards, and people in funny robes. Pip finds a pair of mysterious wooden pipes on the floor. Robbie plays them, bringing Vulca--a man in the wall painting--to life. Vulca admits he took Robbie's ball. In return, he gives Robbie and Pip a tour of the Etruscan tombs and introduces them to the other people in the wall painting. As a thank you, Robbie lets Vulca take the ball into the wall painting with him, to puzzle other modern visitors to the tomb. A three-page appendix at the end of the book goes back through the ages to tell us more about the mysterious Etruscans--what they did for a living, what clothes they wore, what games they liked, and what language they spoke. It also defines such intriguing words as necropolis, haruspices, augurs, and lucumo.

Roberta Angeletti lives and works in Italy. She is a well-known illustrator, sculptor, and engraver, and has recently achieved popularity as a children's writer. She has won numerous prestigious prizes for her illustrations.