If the animal kingdom can understand the life and teachings of the worlds most famous saint, so can children, who will be delighted by this simple, beautiful book for the ages.

Tells of St. Francis' friendship with various animals--birds, a little hare, doves, a pheasant, a fish, a lamb, and the wolf of Gubbio.

How did a thirteenth-century Italian friar become one of the best-loved saints in America? Around the nation today, St. Francis of Assisi is embraced as the patron saint of animals, beneficently presiding over hundreds of Blessing of the Animals services on October 4, St. Francis's Catholic feast day. Not only Catholics, however, but Protestants and other Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and nonreligious Americans commonly name him as one of their favorite spiritual figures. Drawing on a dazzling array of art, music, drama, film, hymns, and prayers, Patricia Appelbaum explains what happened to make St. Francis so familiar and meaningful to so many Americans. Appelbaum traces popular depictions and interpretations of St. Francis from the time when non-Catholic Americans "discovered" him in the nineteenth century to the present. From poet to activist, 1960s hippie to twenty-first-century messenger to Islam, St. Francis has been envisioned in ways that might have surprised the saint himself. Exploring how each vision of St. Francis has been shaped by its own era, Appelbaum reveals how St. Francis has played a sometimes countercultural but always aspirational role in American culture. St. Francis's American story also displays the zest with which Americans borrow, lend, and share elements of their religious lives in everyday practice.

This lovely retelling of one of the lesser known tales of the Saint Francis's 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.

Tells the story of the man who became one of the most famous saints in the world, from his fun-loving youth through his career as a soldier to the years he spent serving God.

Drawn from the multi-award winning spirituality column "Soul Seeing" (in National Catholic Reporter) these 56 first-person accounts reveal the kindness in familiar faces, the divine in unexpected places, the sweetness in the sad, and the power in brokenness. Contributors include:¿ James Martin ¿ Heather King ¿ Alice Camille ¿ Richard Rohr¿ Joyce Rupp ¿ Patrick T. Reardon ¿ Brian Doyle ¿ Mary DeTurris Poust¿ Michael Morwood ¿ Sue Stanton ¿ Heidi Russell ¿ Michael Leach