Customer Reviews

Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great story for children about the life of Pope Benedict. It is written from the perspective of a beautiful tabby cat named Chico. He draws you into his story with the first sentence: "MEEOOOOW! I'm Chico, and who are you?"

Sprinkled with humor throughout the entire book, we also find a lot of very interesting information about the life of Pope Benedict. It is written in a fashion that will keep children interested even though there is a lot of text for a children's book.

Chico's great sense of humor shows in his reaction to war. He writes: "We cats do not make war. We don't even know what wars are. In order to make other cats aware that they are crossing over into our territory, or that they are courting a cat who's already engaged to be married, we put on a threatening look, raise the fur on our backs, puff out our tails, and screech at the top of our lungs, "RRRREEEOOOOOWWW!", which would frighten anyone. It's a shame that you humans are not so advanced."

I agree with the previous review that the book is actually appropriate for slightly older children than 4-8 years, possibly 7-12; and there is no doubt that cat lovers will love this book.

I also recommend "Friday Night with the Pope" if you haven't already read it. It is a beautiful story about Pope John Paul II and a Friday evening meal with Jewish friends told through the eyes of a young boy.

This tender book about Pope Benedict and his love of cats is very endearing and informative. It shows the gentle nature of a somewhat shy scholar who was reluctant when chosen Pope. His reputation as the stern head of the Holy Office preceded him. Now after these few years as Pontiff, he has become an beloved writer and thinker to so many.

I bought this book for my mother, a devout Catholic and a cat lover. This book pleased both the Catholic and the cat lover in her. Although this book appears to be written for children, it is the type of cute book that will appeal to the cat lover as well. I am not an expert in assessing reading levels for children, but this book seems to be too difficult for the lower elementary grades. At that level, an adult might want to read the book to the child.

With Pope Benedict XVI visiting in the United States, I thought it would be a good time for the kids to read more about him.

After reading the reviews posted here, I purchased Joseph and Chico, The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat and I must agree with the positive reviews.

Told from the point of view of Chico, we learn about the life of Pope Benedict XVI, beginning with his birth in Bavaria up until his election as Pope. In a simple storybook form, it relates the major events of his life.

Although it is rather long for a picture book, the lively prose and interesting point of view held my daughters' and my interest.

While the bright, colorful illustrations are not exceptional, they nicely complement the text.

The unusual point of view adds an element of fun as the cat makes humorous comments. This elicited laughs from my ten-year-old daughter on more than one occasion.

A heartwarming story that is true, Joseph and Chico is a delightful read.

Thanks for posting the positive reviews and inspiriting us to read it.

This is a charming book about Pope Benedict XVI for slightly older children. It is released at a most fortunate time -- as the Holy Father will soon be coming to the US and is much in the news.

I expected it to be for quite young children because it is "narrated" by the Pope's cat. It is written in a more mature style, however, suitable only for parents to read to their young children -- which is perfectly acceptable. The drawings are adorable and add a lot. I enjoyed it.

I really wanted to love this book. After all, the narrator is a ginger tabby (my favorite color and type of cat) and the subject is Pope Benedict XVI (a learned and compassionate man), who, as titular head of the Roman Catholic Church, is one of the most highly revered men on the planet.

This particular story is the authorized biography of Benedict's life for children. And it is a lovely, well-written story for children.

So, what's my objection? It pains my heart to write this and is meant in no way a criticism of the pope or the church. This cat Chico was there in the town of Marktl-on-Inn, April 16, 1927, when Joseph Ratzinger was born, and he was still alive when Joseph was declared the new pope, on April 19, 2005. That makes that cat 78 years old (or older)--that's in people years. In cat years, he is 546 years old.

At first, I thought I was mistaken until I double-checked the illustrations. No, Chico is there in Joseph's life right from the beginning. Was I supposed to go with artistic license to pretend I didn't notice how old the cat is? Reservations aside, the story is interesting, informative, and quite pleasant.

My other objection is the copious amount of words used in a children's story. As it is written for ages 9-12, then the target audience is correct. However, this book is designed with illustrations--beautiful ones at that--to show various scenes from Joseph's life. The book, then, becomes an unusual combination of words for older children and illustrations for younger children. However, one thing is for certain: Children should never outgrow their love of picture stories. Truthfully, this book is as much for adults as children, for cat lovers as much as Catholics, for the aesthetics as much as the information.

As for the information therein, here is a list of things one learns from reading this book:
1. Joseph's father was a police officer.
2. Joseph took piano lessons
3. Joseph had to fight in the war. His job was to guard an airplane motor factory.
4. In seminary he studied Latin, philosophy, and theology. He wanted to become a priest and teacher.
5. He was part of Vatican II.
6. He became good friends with Pope John Paul II.
7. In 2005 he became Pope Benedict XVI.
8. He had a ginger tabby named Chico.

I highly recommend this book. The art is beautiful, the story is interesting. Readers do gain an excellent sense of who this man is and what he is about. Whether we are on an intimate terms with him, like Chico, and call him Joseph, or reverent terms to call him Pope Benedict, he is one of the central figures of history in the making.

Very cute idea as a way to introduce a child to Pope Benedict. Nicely illustrated and a presentation of the pope's life before he became Pope Benedict XVI. I gave the book to my grandaughter for her First Communion and she and her parents like it very much.

This book uses the voice of a cat to talk about Pope Benedict XVI. Chico was the Pope's cat when he lived in Germany and Chico tells the story of the life of Joseph Ratzinger who becomes Pope Benedict XVI.
This is a good book to read to your children and talk about the things that have happened in the Pope's life. The art in the book is beautiful and children and grownups alike will enjoy the book for different reasons.
The children will like to see the pictures and share time with another person to have the book read to them. The adult reading it will enjoy the storyline and the time spent with the child. It is a large size book, 12 x 8, so it makes it easy to hold and share the pictures and writings with a little one at your side. All will benefit from sitting down with this great book.

I bought a copy for my own family as well as one for each of my godchildren, and I am extremely pleased with it. I did not know much about Joseph Ratzinger/ Pope Benedict XVI prior to reading this story, and now am much more familiar with who he is and where he came from. The story is extremely accessible, interesting, and even has a touch of humor (the story of his life is being told by a cat, after all). I highly recommend this book, for kids of all ages (although under age 6 or so may have a tough time staying focused if you read it all at one sitting).

This is an excellent, well-written book for the young and old alike. It is very informative and gives one a different prospective of our beloved Pope. I thoroughly enjoyed it (I am 72 years of age) and would highly recommend it to all.