A GIFT FROM SAINT FRANCIS: The First Creche

From an author more often associated with science books (A Frog's Body, 1980), a brief biography of a favorite saint, emphasizing the little-known fact that--near the end of his short life--Saint Francis devised and set up a nativity scene with live figures as an inspirational gift to his neighbors. Lemieux's paintings are sparing in detail, emphasizing the heroic, somewhat wooden figures and architectural forms typical of 12th-century frescoes; employing a palette in which deep blues, greens, and amber touched with brick red predominate, they enrich and enhance the story. A good addition to holiday collections.