A Gift from Saint Francis: The First Creche [Hardcover]

Joanna Cole (Author), Michele Lemieux (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1989

Traces the life of the Italian who turned his back on his family's wealth to help the poor and teach about God. Discusses Francis' role in the making of the first cráeche.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cole lovingly re-creates the story of the young man from Assisi who turned his back on his parents' wealth in order to be closer to God. This moving portrait of Brother Francis's selfless way of life, his concerns for those less fortunate than himself, the love he lavished on birds and animals--all of these elements are effectively presented in a straightforward, inspirational style. Cole does not preach, but lets the real humanity of this man emerge clearly. Lemieux's glowing, medieval-style paintings are a perfect complement, and her flattened perspective and burnished palette are appropriate to the period. Brother Francis finds a special way to bring the Christmas story to life when, with the aid of a few villagers, he restages the Nativity on a hillside near the Italian village of Greccio. Highly recommended as a Christmas gift, this work will encourage readers to reflect on the beauty and true meaning of the holiday season. All ages.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1St Edition edition (July 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688065023
• ISBN-13: 978-0688065027
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joanna Cole s a former elementary school teacher and librarian and a frequent contributor to Parents magazine. Joanna Cole lives in Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saint Francis and His Gift of the Creche, December 1, 2005

By 

Miryam Shoresh (Adirondack Mountains, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Gift from Saint Francis: The First Creche (Hardcover)

This story is half about the life of Saint Francis and half about how the first creche came to be.
The first part of the book covers Francis' love for the poor, separation from his father, preaching to the birds, and his love of Christmas, which leads into the second half about his creating the first Creche.
The pictures are beautiful and simple earth tone paintings that seem to capture what things really looked like at the time when Sr. Francis was walking the streets of Assisi. There are three pictures fully covering their facing pages. On the remaining 2 facing pages of the book there is one page which is fully a picture (except for one place) and the other, on the average has 12 lines of typing taking 1/3-1/2 of the page (sideways). The reading is on a third grade level. I think that it would be enjoyed by young children (3-4 years old) to third grade.