Saintly Creatures
Summary
Saintly Creatures is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that outlines the stories of 14 Christian saints and their animal companions. This book, written by Alexi Sargeant with artwork by Anita Barghigiani, presents stories from throughout Christian history and across the world, highlighting the lives of saints — both famous and less well-known — through the lens of the animals they interacted with.
Assessment
The illustrations carry a very beautiful and traditional kind of style, with rich, textured colors that are very reminiscent of Italy and much of the artwork that comes from that region. The animals are all drawn in an adorable fashion and the pictures of the saints are done in a cartoony fashion that suits the overall rustic style very well.
The stories range from sweet to bittersweet in content, but all made a powerful or encouraging statement of faith in God and His dominion over the natural world. Each story was written in such a way that it would be easy to read the book out loud to children. The writing style has a kind of rhythm and word choice that comes very natural to oral storytelling.
Light-o-Meter
Artwork: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Writing: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Age-Appropriateness: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The artwork was beautiful and adorable at the same time (my favorite animals were those geese; so cute!!) and I liked the overall message of stewardship and the various ways that God can work miracles. Animals — while not created in the image of God like we are — are still an important part of His creation! He can and has used them throughout human history to do His will in various ways; Jonah and the whale (Book of Jonah), Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22:21-39), Peter and the rooster (Matthew 26:74; Mark 14:72; Luke 22:60; John 18:27).
In general, I find the stories of saints, martyrs, and Christian heroes to be incredibly encouraging and important. The Bible should always be our default for building our faith and finding guidance as it is God’s word, written down specifically for our instruction and infallible. However, hearing about these brothers and sisters in Christ who went before us, living their lives faithfully, can be both soothing and strengthening in its own right. These are stories which — although there is a chance they have been stretched and changed slightly over time — are about real people, real Christians.
Wrap-up
Saintly Creatures written by Alexi Sergeant and Anita Barghigiani is a beautifully illustrated story book, detailing the lives of 14 Christian saints through the lens of their animal companions. From boars to geese to dogs to bees, these stories highlight strong testimonies of faith and point towards good, Christian stewardship, as well as God’s dominion over the entirety of His creation!
Where to Enjoy
Word on Fire: Saintly Creatures: 14 Tales of Animals and Their Holy Companions (wordonfire.org)
Leaflet Missal: Catholic Books | Saintly Creatures, 14 Tales of Animals | Leaflet Missal (leafletonline.com)
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