Book Review: St. Francis of Assisi Coloring Book

Hmm...a coloring book review?  Maybe it seems odd, but I just discovered that a particular line of coloring books which I've passed over as nothing spectacular for the past few years is more than just a bunch of coloring pages.  TAN publishes a line of coloring books written by Mary Fabyan Windeatt and illustrated by Gedge Harmon.  The coloring books in this series are essentially vintage coloring books from the mid 50s.

I ordered St. Francis of Assisiprimarily to bump a recent order from Holy Heroes up a few dollars to get free shipping. (Buying the book was cheaper than paying for shipping.)  I was also ordering it hoping to find a better St. Francis coloring page to use with my kindergarten class this October.  Other than that, I wasn't expecting much which made the book all the more surprising when I opened it up to discover that it was a story book and coloring pages.

For every coloring page in this book there is a complete page of text telling the story of St. Francis.  Woven into this story is the story of the first nativity scene, the start of the Poor Clares, and St. Francis' encounters with the animals.  I was particularly excited about the portion of the story that tells about the first nativity scene because it ties in beautifully with another storythat I like to read to my class during Advent.

As a coloring book it will work well for any child who is old enough to color, but the story is best suited for children who are old enough to sit through a somewhat lengthy story.  An older child of around 7 or 8 and up should have no problem sitting and listening to this story all at once.  For younger children it would probably be best to read the story a little bit at a time.

Now that I know what a treasure these little coloring story books are, I'll be looking to order more in the near future.