The people of Gubbio, threatened by a hungry, howling wolf, are
trapped inside the walls of their city. Francis, the 12th-century
Italian saint, who has given away all that he had, comes to address
the beast. Francis secures its promise that if the town will feed
the wolf, they will not have to fear for their children or their
livestock. Langton, a fine and venerable writer for children and
adults, couches the familiar story in clear cadences. Plume's
illustrations are exquisite: A framed image in dry pure colors
faces each page of text in a lovely, readable font. A grace note -
flowers, fruit, vines - at the bottom of each page of text reflects
a motif of the facing image. Francis's "Canticle of the Sun" fills
the endpapers, surrounded by flowers and small creatures. About as
different in form and feeling from Michael Bedard's The Wolf of
Gubbio (2000) as can be imagined, but captures the same luminous,
sweet essence of the tale. (Nonfiction. 6-10) (Kirkus Reviews)
Saint Francis was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy merchant.
After a swashbuckling youth in Assisi, he had a change of faith and
decided to live the life that he ascribed to Jesus, one of poverty
and abstinence. He gave away everything he owned. His father
disowned him. But over the years he drew to himself a substantial
following of men and women and died revered and beloved in 1225.
Three years later he was canonized as Saint Francis of Assisi by
Pope Gregory IX. This lovely retelling of one of the lesser known
of the Saint Francis lessons centers on the legend of the great
wolf of Gubbio, a ferocious canine who terrorized the town and was
slowly reducing it to penury and starvation. In nearby Assisi,
Brother Francis heard of their plight and came to their rescue.
Unbelievingly, the villagers watched from the ramparts as Brother
Francis called to the wolf, tamed it with his tenderness, and made
it pledge that if the people of Gubbio would care for it, he would
do them no harm. He took the pledge and lived in harmony with the
citizens of the city until his death. Jane Langton has retold the
legend with her usual lucidity and grace and Ilse Plume, an
Italophile and the illustrator of three previous Godine books, has
supplied the rectos with illustrations that glow with the intensity
of Renaissance jewelry. A perfect gift for Easter or anyone who
embraces the relationship between man and the natural world.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
