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This is a lovely book with color photos of the Holy Father with children and quotes from speeches and letters that the Holy Father has addressed to children throughout the world. I was so pleased to find such an appealing Catholic book with color pictures and solid text.

The Pictures: Besides photos of the Pope holding and hugging children, there are: a large first communion class pictured with the Pope, a bishop and a number of nuns (in full habit); children from around the world praying (these are very beautiful and quite reverent - such as a group of girls from South Korea in traditional costume in addition to lace chapel veils singing); a picture of the Pope in a classroom looking at a young boy's schoolwork, children stopping their play by a river to look up and wave at the Pope driving by in the "popemobile", two young children receiving their First Holy Communion from the Holy Father (on the tongue!), a baby being baptized by the Pope, and a vintage picture of the Holy Father at his own First Holy Communion (along with a few paragraphs of his remembrance of the occasion).

The Text: Even better than the pictures is the text. Rather than someone else's interpretation of the Pope, we have the Pope himself, appealing to children to pray for him and for the world, to remember Jesus in the Eucharist even in their play and on vacation, renounce violence and learn to love peace in the way the Lord teaches us. They are very thoughtful and powerful passages to read and reflect upon for children of all ages The quotes are well-chosen and are so beautiful and revealing and contain so much truth about children that they would also make excellent meditations for newly-married couples and expectant mothers (and really all parents - even the best parents can use a healthy reminder of the great gifts God has given us in our children - particularly when the house is torn apart, the two year old is wreaking havoc and the baby is crying!!).

This beautiful coffee-table book is filled with full-color photos of the Pope and quotes from his writings and talks organized into the following chapters: The Human Family: Youth, Family, Love, Women, Work and Rest; The People of God: Mary, Vocation, Saints, Prayer, Forgiveness, Death and Eternal Life, Other Christians Other Religions, Laypeople; The Dignity of the Human Person: For Life, Human Rights, Solidarity, Freedom, Peace and War, Suffering and Evil with a brief biographical portion entitled "A Lifetime of Devotion". Each chapter and subchapter have a brief commentary by Greg Burke, TIME Magazine's Rome Correspondent, who overviews the Pope's and the Church's teachings on these basic areas of life. The commentaries are quite good and outline teachings on topics such as abortion, divorce, ecumenism and the role of lay people in the Church. Although the commentaries and quotes touch upon difficult topics such as human sexuality and drug abuse, they are handled in a sufficiently thoughtful fashion for me to consider them appropriate for high school or adult reading.

To a certain extent, the book is aimed at those outside the Church who may benefit from the Pope's message and so the text explains concepts like what the Rosary is and basic Catholic teaching on devotion to Mary in a very simple way. To me the book offered a fascinating concept to consider - that the Pope is presenting himself as the authentic spiritual leader of the whole world and presents the basic teachings of Christ in a way unheard of in the past. In these beautiful images of the Pope and his flock can be seen two aspects of the face of Christ. First, Christ as the Good Shepherd who cares for all of his flock - even the least and farthest away. Second, the face of Christ as he taught us in the Gospels to see in the poor and suffering - the least of his brethren. The short biographical portion contains numerous photos of Karol Wojtyla in his childhood, early adult life and his years as a young priest, bishop and cardinal.

There is a whole lot be liked in this book, beginning with the title! The author has researched numerous interesting anecdotes about the lives of these two holy men so dear in the heart of many Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and the result is a fresh, easy to read and captivating double-biography.

An attractive format, crisp, clean layout, this will be a good resource for any homeschooler needing an overview of the life of our beloved John Paul the Great and a glimpse into the contemporary pope Benedict XVI as well. Susan Provost Beller does a fine job telling of their childhoods, the world they grew up in, their family sorrows and of their personal temperaments.

About every other page, there are side blurbs in blue background, about one third to one half of the page: they may feature explanations of an interesting curiosities such as Benedict XVI's love of cats or all about the Popemobile; or they may be of historical content, such as a table of papal nationalities.

The volume is generously illustrated and they complement the text very well. A timeline, a list of available resources and an index make it very user-friendly.

I was very pleased with the way the author of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI: Keepers of the Faith treats delicate issues of religious faith in her book. I did find, however, a few problematic points, listed below. Taking these into consideration, I would recommend this book.

In what is being widely hailed as the definitive biography of Pope John Paul II, faithful Roman Catholic theologian and journalist George Weigel presents a thorough look at Pope John Paul II from the inside. With a rich complement of Polish history and in-depth coverage of the Holy Father's cultural, philsophical and spiritual background, he portrays a vivid and accurate picture of who the Pope really is and what he's trying to accomplish (and has already accomplished) as the Vicar of Christ. A long and moderately difficult read (the base text is about 850 pages followed by approximately 150 pages of footnotes, appendices and a thorough index) it's the sort of book that would not be required reading for every high school student, but would make excellent reading for those brave enough to attempt it and required reading for adults trying to understand where the Holy Father comes from. The book touches upon many major issues and events of the 20th century (including World War II and the fall of Communist Russia) as well as an in-depth look at the history and culture of Poland going back many centuries. Includes 32 pages of photographs (the more recent ones in full color).

Click here for a review of this book written by Cardinal Avery Dulles (from First Things)

Widely available used and in bookstores and discount stores everywhere as well as the sources listed below. The audio book is excellent as well.

This short chapter book on the life of Pope John Paul II focuses on his childhood and upbringing in Poland. He had a difficult childhood, losing his mother when he was only a boy and his only brother and his father when he was only a young man. We see him draw closer to God during these troubles and eventually discover his vocation to the priesthood during the terrible days of World War II. The story also decribes some of the happier and even humorous moments of his childhood and children will see that in many ways he was an "ordinary" boy destined for unordinary things. Mrs. Mohan is not a great writer, but those weaknesses are compensated for by the greatness of "the story" itself. The text is illustrated with pen and ink drawings (again, somewhat on the mediocre side). The appendix includes a timeline of the Holy Father's life, some quotations by and about the Pope, a somewhat complex map of Poland, a glossary and an index. There is a list entitled "Further Reading". Some of these titles, while perhaps having some informational value in researching a book on the Pope, should not be considered recommended reading, especially for children. (One of the titles was written by Andrew Greeley who might readily be described as a pseudo-Catholic). Also, since the writing of this book there are more good comprehensive resources available about the Holy Father's life, such as Witness to Hope by George Wiegel.