The Circle of Days [Hardcover]

Cathie Felstead (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Inspirational and gloriously illustrated, THE CIRCLE OF DAYS honors the beauty of the natural world. (ages 5-12)

In 1225, Saint Francis of Assisi wrote the Canticle of the Sun, a moving hymn of praise for all creation that has been adapted to poetry and song for centuries. Reeve Lindbergh evokes its gentle power once again with THE CIRCLE OF DAYS, quietly blending her words with those of Saint Francis to honor the elements, the animals, the heavens, and the very breath of life. With marvelous, jewel-toned paintings by Cathie Felstead echoing the childlike reverence of the poem, THE CIRCLE OF DAYS reminds children and adults alike to pause, to wonder at, and to give thanks for the beauty of our world.

Now in paperback, this accessible edition features a beautiful new cover.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In 1225, Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)--Italian founder of the Franciscan order of monks and a notorious nature lover--wrote "The Canticle of the Sun," an incantatory hymn of praise for all creation. Poet Reeve Lindbergh--daughter of aviator Charles Lindbergh and poet Anne Morrow Lindbergh--has gently respun part of this work in the stunning picture book The Circle of Days. A celebration of air, water, fire, earth, and life itself, this mesmerizing hymn begins, "Lord, we offer thanks and praise / For the circle of our days. / Praise for radiant brother sun, / Who makes the hours around us run."

We take our hats off to artist Cathie Felstead, illustrator of A Caribbean Dozen, who with watercolor, gouache, and collage, has created some of the most breathtaking land, sky, and seascapes we've ever seen. With a remarkable use of color and cut paper, we witness the change of seasons, the scuttling of crabs, a skyful of fireworks, and moonlit cows. As an artist, she says she responded to the simple poem because, "Saint Francis took pleasure in the world with a childlike directness. He is the kind of saint whose words reach out to everyone." Youngsters will be soothed by the simple rhythm of the poem, and there's no better way to celebrate the wonders of our planet than with the graceful beauty of Felstead's unforgettable paintings. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustrations © 1998 by Cathie Felstead. Permission by Candlewick Press.) (All ages)

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3?The Canticle of the Sun, a prayer composed by Francis of Assisi, has been translated and adapted many times since 1225. Lindbergh's version uses a conventional metrical form, but the short tetrameter line sometimes dictates odd phrasing, and too often the accents shift as lines randomly alternate between trochaic and iambic: "Praise for radiant brother sun/Who makes the hours around us run." These verses have a poverty not attributable to the saint of the poor. The pictures, on the other hand, are rich in color, simple in form, yet full of interest. Collage accents add dimension to the flat planes painted in clear primary colors. Compositions are formal, but varied page layout and viewpoints add to the liveliness of the pages. This is a book for the eye, if not the ear.?Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (November 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763603570
• ISBN-13: 978-0763603571
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars celebrating the beauty of nature and all creatures on Earth, December 28, 2000

By 

christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Circle of Days (Hardcover)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great baptism/baby shower gift!, December 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Circle of Days (Hardcover)

This is my current favorite gift to buy for baby christenings and showers. Its thoughts are profound, but accessible to all. I imagine that this is a book to be shared between parents and children for many years, even handed down to future generations. If you're looking for that special, meaningful gift that will last throughout childhood and beyond-- this is the one!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A glorious celebration of ALL Creation..., February 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Circle of Days (Hardcover)

'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