Saint Francis and the Wolf

Children's Bookwatch, Jan, 2008

Saint Francis and the Wolf

Jane Langton, author

Ilse Plume, illustrator

David R. Godine

PO Box 450, Jaffrey, New Hampshire 03452

9781567923209, $16.95 www.godine.com

Saint Francis and the Wolf is a picturebook retelling of one of the less well-known legends of the beloved Saint Francis of Assisi. A terrible wolf is terrorizing the fortified town of Gubbio, gradually starving its people; Brother Francis sets out to rescue them. The villagers watch in amazement as Francis calls to the wolf, tames it, and makes it pledge never to harm the people of Gubbio so long as they care for it. The wolf accepts the pledge and lives in harmony with Gubbio for the rest of its life. Caldecott Honor illustrator Ilse Plume brings the legend to life with soft, colored-pencil style artwork, in this gentle storybook written for young readers of all religious faiths.