SAINTLY TALES AND LEGENDS, by Lois Rock. Illustrated by Christina Balit. Pauline Books and Media (Boston, 2003). 96 pp.

Reviewed by Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 2/24/05)

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl with a wicked stepmother who made her work hard all day and sleep with the animals at night.

Sounds like the fairy tale Cinderella doesn’t it? But it isn’t. It’s the legend of St. Germaine.

In Lois Rock’s Saintly Tales and Legends, the lives of saints and religious legends are told through simple words and vivid pictures.

From the well-known Sts. Patrick and Nicholas to the lesser known Sts. Germaine and Isidore, this book contains 17 stories based on Catholic traditions and values. The stories teach children that living "happily ever after" does not always mean marrying the prince in the castle on top of the hill or inheriting more gold coins than can be counted. Each tale is infused with a lesson of choosing right over wrong, helping the less fortunate or serving God above all else.

While many of the stories trace back their origins to centuries ago, a few are more current.

The story of the Golden light parallels an event recounted by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Some of her sisters visited an elderly woman living alone in poor conditions and encouraged her to clean an old lamp, the only valuable possession she had left. The simple acts of having visitors and lighting her lamp turned the elderly woman’s life around.

While the book is aimed at readers aged 8 to 12, younger children may enjoy the colorful illustrations while having the stories read to them. The simple language and dialogue between characters make the stories perfect to read aloud.

The last three pages of the book contain synopses of the stories, highlighting the lessons to be learned and explaining the origins of the legends and tales.

This book can serve as a firm foundation to sparks a child’s interest in the saints and legends portrayed in the book, and perhaps choose to try to emulate them in their own lives.