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thebookbin's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful book, but doesn't balance it's heavy nature with the storybook format. Picked it up because I think the Catholic flavor of religion is interesting and the idea of saints novel. But the prose is childish (the book is for children) yet at the same time every story ends with the saint's brutal murder. Sometimes they get beheaded or cut open or set on fire. All described in a level of detail that is a bit surprising, but at the same time dances around topics like rape and slavery. I think if it had just embraced the violent history of Christianity and taken its readers a bit more seriously, even if they intended those readers to be children, the book would have been more successful. Very pretty, though.
hail_archangel's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.0
This would be good for older children. It's very basic and gets repetitive, but it has nice illustrations and is a good starting point for children who want to learn about ordinary people who did extraordinary things (though I don't believe any of them actually flew through the air... come on now)!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Slavery, War, Child death, Classism, Racism, Torture, Child abuse, Bullying, Chronic illness, and Murder
tinylittlehobbit's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
It was interesting to see how the lives of the saints were interconnected through the years, how the actions of one influenced the life of another. The illustrations were also beautiful. It is a children's book, so I give it some grace as far as censoring the darker aspects of some of the saints lives. I do wish more women saints had been included also.
swoody788's review against another edition
2.0
What drew me to this book turned out to be its only redeeming quality and the sole reason it gets more than one star - the illustrations. They are stunning, but the content was not my cup of tea and the writing was mediocre at best.
heatherer's review against another edition
4.0
This book is worth it for the illustrations alone. They are just incredible. I enjoyed many of the stories of the saints lives. While I know many of the saints by name, their stories are less familiar and this is an excellent short introduction. I do find some of them quite odd and even sometimes uncomfortable (anything that rewards participating in violence, for example). The only actual complaint I have is the description (twice) in Maximilian Kolbe’s chapter that priests were treated worse than other prisoners in concentration camps. That’s quite a bold claim to make and adds nothing important to Kolbe’s love and compassion. Given the Church’s history with Judaism, it would be better if that bit had been left out.
toad_maiden's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating and beautifully illustrated. This book is a perfect introduction to saint lore for Christians, and even as a non-Christian, I loved reading these stories as folktales.
achenaille's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful illustrations and well written stories about the saints.