(3) K-3 This elegant book succinctly relates Assisi's choice to leave his wealthy family to found a monastic order that preached respect for all creation; the text also describes his canonical miracles and his lasting impact on Christianity. The main narrative is accompanied on each spread by a quotation from his namesake Pope Francis and a well-reproduced period painting (source information provided).

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 Demi tells the influential Catholic saint's story with her signature paintings featuring elaborate borders and gold accents. The somewhat wordy text makes this picture book most appropriate for older readers. Without a bibliography or source notes, lines such as "now that he owned nothing, he felt richer" are difficult to attribute.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Francis is joined in his song of praise for God by the moon, the sun, and a multicolored flock of birds. The simple volume is less a story about the famous saint than it is a celebration of his love for the universe. Give this to the picture book set and send older readers to dePaola's Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ilse Plume. When the Italian town of Gubbio is terrorized by a wolf, Brother Francis fearlessly meets "Brother Wolf" as an equal, offering it a deal that would ensure both the wolf's and the townspeople's security. The simply retold legend is well matched by meticulously detailed, unobtrusively bordered colored-pencil illustrations that are reminiscent of Renaissance paintings. There are no source notes.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bimba Landmann. With gold-accented paintings that combine a medieval sense of perspective with modern contrasts of color, this illustrated book is sumptuous in its own particular way. As retold here, the story of Francis and Clare is sometimes oblique and disjointed; that fact and the sophisticated art probably demand an audience already familiar with the lives of these saints. Two translations of the "Canticle of Brother Sun" are appended. Timeline

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) K-3 Told as a story within a story, this loving and reverent tribute recounts Saint Francis's answer to a donkey's complaints about his lot as a beast of burden. The narration takes the form of an original pourquoi tale, detailing the arrogant and prideful donkey's fall from grace. But there is redemption, for the donkey then figures in several New Testament stories. The illustrations glow with the richness of illuminated manuscripts, making the book a visual delight. Bib.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2000

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Malone. This simple but appealing book opens with a section that concentrates on the essential facts of St. Francis's life. The biography is followed by engaging retellings of familiar legends such as that of St. Francis taming the wolf of Gubbio, and introducing the first Christmas crèche. Malone's illustrations employ the rich palette of medieval illumination reminiscent of books of hours. A short author's note indicates sources.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2000

(4) 4-6 When Jared's friend encourages him to bring his dog to the St. Francis Blessing of the Animals, Jared is excited, but his mother objects because they are Jewish. She says, however, that if he gets four opinions about whether or not to go, he can make up his own mind. Although in places the explanations feel didactic, Jared's search raises some thought-provoking ideas about Judaism.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 When the townspeople of Gubbio feel terrorized by a lone wolf who steals through the streets seeking livestock for his dinner, they turn to Francis of Assisi for help. Painted on wood panels and outlined in a thick, soft black line, the attractive illustrations give the book the feel of a decorated medieval manuscript, which is enhanced by the calligraphic font used for the text.

Reviewer: Anne St. John