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Saint Francis of Assisi's
Canticle of the Creatures
Canticle of the Creatures
Reimagined by Katherine Paterson
Illustrated by Pamela Dalton
Chronicle, 2011
$17.99, ages 4-8, 36 pages
A two-time Newbery Award winner adapts a beloved hymn into a children's prayer in this stunning book of paper-cut tapestries.
Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia) rephrases the blessings of Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Creatures as children today might recite them.
The changes are subtle, just enough to draw children closer to the spirit of the song, and reflect Paterson's deference to the original work.
When Paterson writes of Sister Moon and her stars, she draws off Assisi's description of them as "precious and beautiful," and writes to God that the heavens "clothe the night with their beauty and, like you, watch over us while we sleep."
Sweet and spare, the verses echo familiar ways children describe nature: water "wells up" and a storm sounds like a lion.
"We praise you for our Brother Wind and every kind of weather, stormy or mild," she writes. "For when he roars he reminds us of your might, and when he comes as a cooling breeze, he tells us of your gentleness."
Paper-cut artist Dalton illustrates using a technique of Scherenschnitte or scissor cuts, cutting each spread from a continuous piece of paper, an amazing process detailed in a video below.
The paper cuts are then painted in earthy watercolors and set against a black backdrop. Like needlework samplers, each is a country scene with gently shaded layers of activity, in this case filled with children and animals living Assisi's message.
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