A Donkey's Tale by Stefano Gorla is a collection of stories told through the eyes of Ladan, the donkey who was there. Ladan tells children the story of Jesus as the eyewitness donkey who was there from the birth of Jesus to His ascension.
The book is filled with illustrations that are pleasing to the eye. While most of Ladan's tales are relatively short, I'd say that this book is best suited to elementary school children. The book could be read as a read aloud, but I think it works best as an independent reading book for a child in the second to fourth grade age range.
What I like about this book is it pretty much gives a synopsis of the Gospel through the eyes of a friendly little donkey who is happy to tell his tale in a way that is easy for children to understand. I thought the stories were done quite well.
In the book there is only one story that I take issue with. Ladan, the donkey who has been with Jesus since before he was born, claims to be the donkey He rode into Jerusalem. In Matthew 11:2-7 we are told that Jesus rode on a young donkey which had never been ridden before. So for me, I had a hard time accepting that Ladan's claim that he was the donkey who Jesus rode into Jerusalem. I'm not sure that many children would pick up on this discrepancy but I suppose it's possible that some might.
Overall, it's a nice story and I think it will appeal to children.
This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. I was provided with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on A Donkey's Tale. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papal Year of Faith.
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