In So’s hands, watercolor, ink and gouache make for soft edges, fine detail, bright color and lively expression as Gibfried tells the story of one of St Francis’s friars, Brother Juniper. No one doubts his goodness, but the other brothers worry because Brother Juniper thinks nothing of giving away everything he has. When they go off to preach, a series of needy folk come to the chapel; Brother Juniper meets their great needs by giving away chalice and cloth, doors and windows, even his broom and at last, his robe. The brothers come home to find Juniper naked in an empty hole. They are, needless to say, rather upset, but when Juniper calls the faithful to worship (he has to shout DING DING DING because he gave the bell to a teacher to start a school), all the people he assisted and all of their families gather to thank him. Francis says, “I wish I had a forest of these Junipers.” When Juniper has given away everything, So depicts him from the back wearing only his Franciscan sandals, so children will giggle but understand his fierce generosity. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: March 13, 2006
ISBN: 0-618-54361-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
This Hanukkah story about a family’s ritual reenactment of Grandma and great-aunt Rose’s Hanukkah spent at Buchenwald many years ago during the “bad time” propounds a disturbing view of the Holocaust. Grandma and great-aunt Rose demonstrate to the family how they hollowed out a potato stolen from the kitchen at the camp, filled it with a dab of stolen margarine, made a wick from a piece of thread, and lit a candle to commemorate the holiday. Popp’s (Sister Anne’s Hands, 1998) realistic drawings of the celebration are soft and subtly colored, reflecting the family’s warmth and closeness, while the drawings of the camp are ghostly in sepia tones. Afterwards the whole family steps outside to look at the Hanukkah lights through the window and drink a toast to life. The disturbing piece is Grandpa’s comment that “The Germans didn’t like a lot of people. It wasn’t only the Jews.” For many, this is a deeply offensive statement, implying as it does that the Jews were not singled out by Hitler and the Germans for the very specific goal of total destruction. Even in the context of human history, the single-mindedness, efficiency, and technological resources put to the task make Hitler’s war against the Jews exceptional. Grandpa’s comment would be problematic in any event, but out of the mouth of the husband of a Holocaust survivor it is troubling indeed. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-060-28115-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2002
An abridged version of an old story tells the tale of Pepino, an orphan boy who lives in a stable with his donkey, Violetta, in the town of Assisi. When Violetta becomes ill, Pepino wants to take her into the crypt of St. Francis, in hopes that the saint’s spirit will make the donkey smile and thus cure her illness. Only the Pope can give permission for the donkey to enter the crypt, so Pepino journeys on his own to Rome, where he meets the Pope and receives his blessing and some valuable advice on being prepared to face the uncertain fate of his beloved companion. The story ends somewhat enigmatically just as Pepino and Violetta enter the crypt “to complete their pilgrimage of faith.” Though the donkey smiles, more mature readers will realize that the smile does not necessarily mean renewed health. The watercolor-and-colored-pencil illustrations bring Pepino and Violetta to life against the backgrounds of Assisi, Rome, and the lush, rolling hills of the Italian countryside. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-8050-6745-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2003
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