Saint Spotting
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- $24.99
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
A church is a weighty thing, isn’t it? Its doors are heavy and hard to budge. Its walls are made of stone. And there may be strange or even scary pictures inside. How can a small person make sense of these intimidating places? Two-time Caldecott medalist Chris Raschka shares his mother’s wonderful way of visiting a church: what they would call saint spotting. Each visit to a church becomes an adventure, a trip through the stories that have shaped centuries of faith.
Playful and poignant, this beautifully illustrated book introduces readers to saints and symbols through the warm bond between a mother and son. From bookish Paul to faithful Mary Magdalene, from musical Cecilia to animal-loving Francis, there’s a fascinating saint to discover in every corner.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Saint Spotting" is the name given by Caldecott Medalist Raschka's mother to her method of wandering through Catholic churches, a practice that made trips to imposing cathedrals "light, not scary, and even kind of floaty." In a direct, confiding tone, Raschka offers a survey of major saints, defining sainthood and martyrdom (but not canonization), offering "clues to recognize them," and going into absorbing, if sometimes opaque, detail about their often-terrible fates: "Here is Saint Catherine with her wheel, which was made to kill her as punishment for teaching the emperor's wife about Jesus." Luminous paintings in a mix of muted and saturated hues portray the peach-skinned mother and son—a tall woman with a guidebook and a wide-eyed child—before various icons, gazing in admiration and sometimes, in the boy's case, in terror. Readers won't come away with a deep understanding of sainthood, and presenting Jesus alongside saints may confuse rather than clarify his position for those not familiar with Christian tradition. Still, this personal iconography, presented with honesty about the emotions some of the images elicit, offers a gift to families who want to know more about the renderings and stories of saints. Ages 4–8.
