Stories from Assisi

The kids and I have been enjoying some stories about Saint Francis in honor of his feast day (last Sunday). There are a great many picture books on his life, many of which are excellent. My favorite is Brother Francis and the Friendly Beasts by Margaret Hodges, but we've also found a new one to enjoy.

Brother Juniper by Diane Gibfried is a charming story of a simple monk living with Saint Francis in Assisi. It's not a true story, though there was a Brother Juniper, but it well presents the ideas of giving to others and what the Church really is. Be warned, Brother Juniper gives his robe away on more than one occasion, and apparently did not wear underclothes, so there are a few illustrations of him from behind without any clothes on at all. They did not seem inappropriate to me and my kids didn't even comment on them (though having a toddler around means bare bottoms are not as rare as they might be in more civilized households).