Although this is a bit longer than some of the other Saint stories by the same author, my children have been enjoying this story very much as a read-aloud. The story is told in the first person – from the point of view of St. John Vianney himself. (My children have particularly enjoyed this perspective and found it a nice change from the ordinary.) The author also weaves a great deal of thoughtful commentary upon the importance and mystery of priesthood into the story as well as important concepts about the love of God and the need for prayer and penance. It is just the sort of book that could inspire a young boy to consider a priestly vocation in his future.

"Take and eat this," said Jesus, holding the bread. "It is my body." And the donkey watched as Jesus lifted up a cup of wine. "Take and drink this,"Jesus said. "It is my blood."

So the soldiers took Jesus away. They put a crown of thorns on his head and made fun of him. 'Hail the King of the Jews!' they said. They gave him a huge cross of wood and forced him to carry it.

And the donkey stayed there the rest of his life, remembering the kind and good man he had carried on his back to Jerusalem.

The sequel to A Life of Our Lord for Children, this title by Marigold Hunt tells the story of the infant Church. After a few introductory remarks, the story begins with the Pentecost (Acts 1) and ends with Paul's visit to the Jews of Rome (Acts 28). The beauty of this book is the wonderful storytelling style of Hunt. It is a great book to read aloud because then it really sounds as if she is speaking to us. One day I was reading out loud to my nine year-old and all the other children had gathered around. My eleven year-old said, "That's a cool author." I know he meant, "I love to hear the way that author tells a story."

At the beginning of each chapter Hunt lists the corresponding chapters from Acts of the Apostles. At various points in the text she recommends the reader go and read from the Bible. For example, when she describes the Pentecost, she suggests that the reader reads Peter's speech which is recorded in Acts 2. She calls it the "very first sermon of the very first pope." I have to admit that when I read her suggestions, I wanted to hop up and read the Bible version! Hunt selects particular tales from Acts, saying that she couldn't tell all that happened. However, she selects those that would be of most interest to young readers. For example, she chooses to include the story of Philip running next to the chariot of the Treasurer to tell him about the Faith, which is kind of a funny image. Hunt also does a good job explaining the problem that Christians Jews had with gentiles becoming Christian without keeping the "law of Moses," and how it was resolved. She makes it clear that Peter makes the final decision, and that when he does, everyone accepts it, clearly establishing him historically as the leader of the Church. With every story she explains things in ways a child would understand by comparing them to things in our own time.

As with A Life of Our Lord for Children, this edition, reissued in 2004, is illustrated by Ted Schluenderfritz (a homeschooling dad!). His drawings add greatly to the text. This is a book that will appeal to all children and is a joy to read aloud. It could be read independently by a 4th grader.

"The Friendly Beasts" is a lovely old English Christmas carol (the words and music are included in their entirety on the last page). Tomie de Paola has drawn beautiful pictures, in his signature style, to accompany the words to this song. (We didn't know the song before we came across the book. Now we tend to sing it, rather than read it, to the children.) It has been a favorite in our family partly because of its beautiful simplicity and is frequently requested (even when it's nowhere near Christmastime) by our younger children. The artwork is to be enjoyed and cherished over and over again. I especially like a little drawing of the Annunciation that just shows up on the front cover.

Here is the first verse of the song to give you the idea:

Jesus our brother, strong and good,

Was humbly born in a stable rude.

And the friendly beasts around Him stood,

Jesus our brother, strong and good.