The Good Man of Assisi

by Mary Coker Joslin, Alison Wisenfeld (Illustrator)

An introduction to the life and teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi describes how he gave up everything else to serve God and recounts some of the traditions about him

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1998

Reviews

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it's difficult to write a BAD story about St Francis, I do think you can write a lackluster, un-engaging story, and that's what Joslin has done, in my opinion. For one thing, it is glaringly protestant, as evidenced by things like the painfully obvious avoidance of terms like "saint" and "stigmata." Which isn't necessarily bad. but in attempting to make the story of Francis SAFE for sheltered protestant children, the author has made it distant and boring, watering down the events of Francis' life, from how he preached to the birds and animals to his monastic life. The art is lovely, but that's really the best recommendation I can give this bland book. If you want an absolutely beautiful and much more engaging children's picture book of the life of Francis AND Clare of Assisi, read Clare and Francis.

[Alicia Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book to explain St Francis of Assisi. I really liked that it ended in a beautiful prayer too. Lovely pictures.