Brother Wolf of Gubbio: A Saint Francis Legend [Hardcover]

Colony Elliott Santangelo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000 | Grade Level: P and up

Exquisitely embellished in gold, imbued with the vibrant palette of the Renaissance, and painstakingly rendered on bass wood panels, Brother Wolf embraces the spirit of its time. An old wolf terrorizes the villagers of Gubbio-until Saint Francis brings about a peace between man and animal. This inspiring and favorite legend is richly illuminated and lovingly depicted by a new artist of great talent. A storyteller's ear informs a tale whose gentle message of spirituality and the brotherhood of all living things will strike a resonant chord. Those familiar with art history will delight in finding images which quote famous paintings; all others will simply delight.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Some unnecessary embellishing reduces the drama in this adaptation of the legend of Saint Francis of Assisi's taming of a fierce wolf. Debut author/artist Santangelo begins with an explanation of the lone wolf's presence in Gubbio (he has been supplanted by a new alpha wolf) and the anthropomorphized predator's first kill ("The wolf was awakened by the rumbling of his empty belly. He saw a lamb and trembled with hunger"). The subsequent painting, rendered in inks and colored pencils on wood, shows the shepherd on a hillside of perfectly placed daisies, his face meant to express "wonder and fear"; he kneels by a small pile of bones and wool near the wolf's pawprints. Santangelo casts the wolf as increasingly pitiable: "He was only one old wolf, grayhaired and scrawny, but the people picked up sticks and stones and threw them, shouting angrily." In so thoroughly soliciting readers' sympathy for the wolf, Santangelo makes Francis's extraordinary behavior (seeking out the wolf and talking to him gently) seem logical, not saintly, and the wolf's agreement to live in peace with the people of Gubbio becomes ordinary, not miraculous. In keeping with the more secular flavor of this telling, Saint Francis does not ask for the wolf's cooperation in Christ's name, as he does in most versions (the predator does, however, lift his paw to the saint's hand). Readers will find a more aesthetically pleasing and fluid presentation of the story in Margaret Mayo and Peter Malone's recent Brother Sun, Sister Moon: The Life and Stories of Saint Francis. Ages 6-10.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-While some books, like Tomie dePaola's Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi (Holiday, 1982), focus on the story of the saint's life, others, like Margaret Mayo's beautiful Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Little, Brown, 2000), deal in large part with the stories associated with this holy man. Santangelo tells one familiar part of the legend, one that deals as much with a wolf as it does with St. Francis. This wolf is old, a deposed leader that separates from his pack and stays in a cave near Gubbio, venturing out only to hunt. The village is terrorized, and St. Francis is summoned from a neighboring town to help. Gentle and kindly, he soon recognizes that the animal is merely hungry, and he convinces the villagers that if they feed it, it will be no threat. Ultimately, the wolf becomes an integral part of the small community. Using colored pencil and ink on bass wood, Santangelo has created rich and evocative art, beginning with the glorious endpapers and continuing to the image of the lone wolf on the last page. The drawings convey the peacefulness and love of St. Francis, and at the same time reflect the essential goodness of the animal. Though the story is from the Christian tradition, it transcends religion and instead emphasizes the need to live in harmony with the natural world.-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929766076
• ISBN-13: 978-1929766079
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,179,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare treat for children and adults alike, November 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Brother Wolf of Gubbio: A Saint Francis Legend (Hardcover)

The cover of this book caught my attention at once, and as soon I opened it, I found myself tyransported to another world, one I couldn't wait to share with my children. The story is simply yet beautifully told and is complemented so well by the rich tapestry of the illustrations. The book is filled with heart and immediately captured the imagination and interest of my two children, ages 5 and 8. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is looking for a story that will touch you, whether you are 5 or 95.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story about understanding turning an enemy into a helpful friend, November 30, 2008

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brother Wolf of Gubbio: A Saint Francis Legend (Hardcover)

An old wolf no longer has the energy to hunt with the pack, so he uses the cleverness of age to hunt tame game near a village. As their lambs, chickens and goats disappear, the villagers become frightened and round up their livestock and stay in their homes. In desperation, they turn to the gentle man Francis, who gave away his wealth in order to live in brotherhood with all creatures.
Francis visits the wolf and explains how he understands his need to eat, so they reach an agreement. As long as the wolf receives food, he will not harm the livestock and in fact begins to guard the people. When the wolf finally dies of old age, he was deeply mourned as the villagers have grown to consider him a member of the village.
The moral of this story is rather simple, sometimes we can turn our enemy into a friend if we only will take the time to understand their position. It is also a metaphor for the domestication of the dog, which was most likely the first domesticated animal. In exchange for regular food, the wolf became an integral part and defender of the human camp.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful retelling of the story for all faiths, November 17, 2010

By 

H. Wood "cooking doctor" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brother Wolf of Gubbio: A Saint Francis Legend (Hardcover)

This beautifully illustrated book fleshes out the story of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gobbio, and makes it meaningful to any faith. St. Francis's loving spirit and his fairness are emphasized, and the parable of approaching your "enemy" with love and a fair spirit is told simply and without tedious moralizing. I would recommend it for any child, but I also loved it myself.