The Circle of Days: From Canticle of the Sun by Saint Francis of Assisi

Rating:
Summary: A glorious celebration of ALL Creation...
Review: 'Nuff said in the earlier reviews about the text portion...so on to the illustrations:

As an artist and homeschooling-mom I constantly look for ways to share the love of Things-Artistic with my child [and the children of homeschooling friends]. This volume goes to the top of my growing list of shining show-and-tell examples of "why you might want to become an 'Artist' when you grow up."

I contend that this book will please many, many more than simply those with a "preschool eye" as another reviewer noted. And for the individual who rated Felstead's work as "...dull, static, cluttered..." I suggest they've been watching way too much television!

I for one feel the artwork alone makes this a Must Have volume, and further suggest and contend that a serious study of it would make for a challenging and rewarding semester [or more] in the Fine Arts.

Patrice Stanton, Extremist Art

Rating:
Summary: celebrating the beauty of nature and all creatures on Earth
Review: The editorial review explains a lot so I won't duplicate that content. Yes, this is a thanks to the Lord for all the creatures on the Earth, and the Earth itself. For those that have not yet read it, I want to tell you that it is not overly religious but instead is more of communicating the wonder and beauty of nature and our world. This would definitely appeal to environmentalists, one example being that one passage states the hunter and the hunted are "both the same" rather than the usual Catholic-religion idea that man rules over nature. The text rhymes and so has a singsong quality that children love. The book is large format with most pages having a large illustration spread across both pages. I love that on most of these pages there are 5-6 little cubes on the bottom with smaller illustrations that correspond very closely to the text. One example is "praise for brothers wind and air, serene or cloudy, foul or fair" the small illustrations are a windmill, a weathervane, a sailboat on white-capped waves, a boy holding a balloon in windy weather, clothes drying on the clothesline in the breeze, and a kite flying. I love these illustrations as they give the parent more to talk about and to teach new words (weathervane was one that my 3 year-old had not yet learned). This book is unlike most that are available. People are shown in many different skin tones and some are very obviously from non-American countries (India, Africa). The collage type illustrations are lovely and this illustration method is not commonly seen.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, lyrical, with depth...
Review: This is one of my children's favorite books: the illustrations are gorgeous, the words lovely, the thought profound and cathartic. It's not your "thanks for my swingset and new toys" sort of prayer, but one that takes into account the cycle of day and night, the elements, the earth, the prey and the hunter, life and death. A baby appreciates the sounds and warmth of color; a child the unblinking address of those things which really matter.