115 Saintly Fun Facts

Honestly, when I first paged through "115 Saintly Fun Facts," I was a bit taken aback by what I initially thought was irreverent treatment of 115 saints of the Catholic Church. Oh, don't be so stuffy, I said to myself. My second time through I went page by page, stopping to read the entry for saints with whom I was familiar. Although handled with fun, each entry is brief and informative and accurate. Each just seems a little strange told through humor. For example, Monica "had a bad-tempered husband and mother-in-law PLUS a smart but LAZY son" (109). It IS amusing to learn that the smart but lazy son is none other than Augustine, who also became a saint. But first Monica had to pray for her son for 17 years before Augustine changed his life and was baptized and eventually became one of the most important early leaders of the church--no, make that of all time. At the conclusion of each saint's brief biographical sketch of one to two pages, Author Bernadette McCarver Snyder leaves one-paragraph advice of what to take from that saint's life. With Monica the reader is advised to be patient and persistent concerning prayer. Sometimes it takes awhile. Vincent de Paul is described as "devoted to serving slaves, peasants, and the poor," yet also as having an exciting life. I chuckled, thinking that Vincent would never have thought of his life as exciting. The reader would, yes, if you think being captured and sold as a slave by pirates is exciting. Or Ignatius of Loyola whose life as a soldier was changed by a cannonball that shattered his leg. Later he founded a religious order which he thought of as "commandos" who could respond quickly and go out on "missions." (I am pretty sure these are the author's words.) His was the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits. Second grade students at my small Catholic school go through special religious studies all year long prior to confirmation in late spring. One of the units is a study of the saints. Each child selects a saint, reads a book or chapter about the saint, prepares a costume indicative of that saint's life to wear to a special Mass, and concludes with an oral presentation. It's a unit that children love. This book, "115 Saintly Fun Facts" will add to their enjoyment of their saints' studies.

This book takes the "60 Minutes" approach to the lives of saints. After all, saints are Christian superstars. This generation doesn't necessarily have time to consume a complete biography on each saint. Rather, the interviewer is asking, "What makes you stand out from the rest?". "What is one lesson others can learn from you?" "Why should God hire you?" The reading level of the book would be about fifth grade, but the book is quite interesting even for an adult. It is fun to pick up and read a few profiles at a time. Children are usually asked to imagine a somewhat unusual or even silly situation before they learn how this saint dealt with their circumstances. One theme consistently found in the book was that, besides being prayerful and faithful, many saints had to be resourceful, valiant, humorous, communicative, humble, daring, and especially able to forgive or ask forgiveness. And, although some of the stories reflect the saint's relationship with the Catholic Church, the majority dwell on one way each saint heeded the call of Christ using their own God-given personalities and talents. Overall, it a very enjoyable book that humanizes the saintly.

A super book, fun and informative, on the lives of over fifty saints. Catches the readers imagination by touching on the human aspects of the saints that kids can easily identify with. Would be a great Christmas, First Communion, or Easter basket gift. Has a good amount of humor and drawings but is not for the very little. I'd say 2-3 grade and up. Enjoy!

A great book to introduce kids to various saints. Has thought provoking questions for kids at the end of each saint. Has Imprimatur from Monsignor Maurice F. Byrne, Archdiocese of St. Louis.