32 Days (Pauline Books and Media)

If you are Catholic, then you are most likely familiar with the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Why that man is not a canonized saint is baffling to me, but this review is not the place for that platform. In an interview in 1979, he was praised for his accomplishments and lauded for the various important people he had met throughout the world. He was then asked, who he considered to be the biggest inspiration to him. In his humility, Sheen responded that he had never met his biggest inspiration, but that it was an eleven year old Chinese girl and her love for the Eucharist that inspired him most. 32 Days: A Story of Faith and Courage tells the story of that girl.

Pei was a village girl who lived in China. Like most children, she had parents, siblings, and grandparents. They worked hard and didn't have a lot, but they loved each other and loved Jesus too. Within their village, there was a Catholic Church, a priest, and a school run by a Catholic nun. Things were quiet for the most part until the Communists took over the village. Everything changed at that point. The Communists used propaganda techniques, intimidation, and fear to try and "convert" people to this change in regime. In addition to imprisoning the priest, one of their worst atrocities was destroying the Church and everything inside of it. They even desecrated the Eucharist by throwing it on the ground and stepping on it. Pei witnessed all of this and felt helpless about it, but one day she resolved to go consume the sacred hosts, as that was Jesus and she longed for Him. There were 32 hosts, so she had to sneak out at night 32 times to do this. She was almost caught several times, and sadly, on the 32nd night she was. She was martyred that night, but during that month+, she grew closer to Jesus than most of us do in our lifetime. The book was an easy read, and one that I was able to read in about an hour. The content is sad, but beautiful. I would recommend it for those in 4th-6th grade, but even older children and adults could learn a lot from it.

This book was provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media in exchange for an honest review.

Wild Animals of the South (Flying Eye Books)

Flying Eye Books publishes some of the most visually stunning children's books I have ever witnessed. Today, I would like to tell you about Wild Animals of the South,  the follow-up book to Wild Animals of the North. The book is about a 300 mm x 238 mm hardback book, which is illustrated by Dieter Braun. It focuses on animals found in Africa, South America, Asia, and Australia and divides the book into those four sections. Each animal is given its name, Latin genus and species, a gorgeous illustration that takes up one or two pages, and then some of the animals get an accompanying paragraph that provides an interesting fact about the specific animal. For example, "The more nourished and strong a lion is, the darker, thicker, and longer their mane appears."

Within this book, your children will meet lions and tigers, hippos and monkeys, and might even spot a flamingo or two. The detail and color with the illustrations are meticulous and jaw-dropping. I said it with the last book, and it stands true with this one as well. The book reminds me of Audubon's illustrations and transport you to the different locations these animals would be found. It will certainly capture your child's imagination, engender in them a love of wildlife, and instruct them on animals they might not ever be exposed to otherwise. I cannot recommend this two book series anymore highly, and I firmly believe this collection belongs in every child's library.

This book was provided to me for free by Flying Eye Books in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Pope Francis (Loyola Press)

Books "written" by the Pope always carry a special weight to them. After all, he is the leader of over one billion Catholics worldwide. I can think of a lot of Pope Benedict XVI books that have caused me to stop, ponder, and walk away spiritually enriched. Recently, Loyola Press released a book called Dear Pope Francis. This book is "co-authored" by Pope Francis and 30 children from around the world. Within this book, each child wrote a letter to Pope Francis, and he took the time to personally respond to each of them. Some of the questions are as follows:

How did Jesus walk on water?
What did God do before the world was made?
When you were a child did you like dancing?
Why didn't God defeat the devil?
Do bad people have guardian angels too?
My mum is in heaven. Will she grow angel wings?
What can I, as a child, do to increase the number of Christians in my age group?

As you can see, the questions have a wide range in both depth and seriousness. However, Pope Francis doesn't discount any question as beneath him or too silly to answer. Instead, he answers each question with a thoughtful and age-appropriate answer. What I like best about the book is that he doesn't talk down to the children, thinking they can't understand tougher concepts or hard truth. At the end of the book is the background on how this book came to exist, which was also a bit fascinating to read. Reading through this book will be a gift not only for your children, but you as well, because it contains questions that adults probably would want to ask but would never have the courage to themselves. I highly recommend this book to all families and Catholic religion teachers.

This book was provided to me for free by Loyola Press in exchange for an honest review.

Catholic Encyclopedia for Children (Our Sunday Visitor)

Through the years, Our Sunday Visitor has had a successful history of publishing encyclopedia for the faithful Catholic. Such topics of these encyclopedias include Catholic History, U.S. Catholic History, the Saints, and Mary. I own and have reviewed at least three of these books, if not all four. Well, Our Sunday Visitor has recently released a kid-friendly encyclopedia, appropriately called Catholic Encyclopedia for Children. The book is divided into six sections:

1. In the Beginning
2. The Life of Jesus
3. The Church Begins to Grow
4. The Church Covers Europe
5. The Church in the New World
6. This We Believe

The first two chapters of the book rely heavily on the Old and New Testament. The sections covered in the Old Testament are Genesis, Exodus, and 1st Samuel. The New Testament takes us from the beginning of the Gospels to Pentecost in Acts 1 and 2. It also covers the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Chapter Three is very brief and spends a few pages detailing how the Apostles spread the Church as Jesus instructed them to do so. Chapters Four and Five talk about the grown and spread of the Church through the centuries. We see saintly examples in Benedict, Francis, Juan Diego, and Kateri Tekawitha to name a few. The last chapters covers tenets of our Faith, such as the Pope, the Church, the Mass, the Creed, the Sacraments, and the Communion of Saints. Again, more saints serve as examples for your children.

The first thing that stands out about this book is that it's a paperback. When I think of encyclopedias, I think of a hardcover, not a softcover. The second thing I noticed about this book is that there aren't individual entries. For the most part, the book is a series of Bible summaries, saint biographies, and illustrations on every page. The book is well-written, faithful to Church teachings, and written in a manner that is engaging and accessible for children. It would be great for parents, teachers, and catechists to have in their library. However, I don't think I'd call it an encyclopedia, at least not in the traditional sense.

This book was provided to me for free by Our Sunday Visitor in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

My Catholic Bible and A Missal for Children (Ignatius Press)

We're entering the time of year when second graders throughout the United States will be receiving their First Communion. What kind of gift should you get this child? A rosary? A crucifix necklace? A wall crucifix? All of these are good options, but my favorite gift, my go-to gift is always going to be some kind of book. Today, I have two such recommendations from you, both from Ignatius Press. They are entitled My Catholic Bible and A Missal for Children.

My Catholic Bible is an illustrated Bible for children ages 7 and up. It begins with an introduction on what the the Bible is and how to read this edition of the Bible. It is then naturally divided into the Old Testament and New Testament with further divisions based on overarching themes. For example, the Old Testament addresses Creation, Abraham, Exodus, David, etc. The New Testament divides itself into Jesus' parables, miracles, His death, and His Resurrection. It also speaks of the first Christians, St. Paul's journeys, and the end of the New Testament.

Each section begins with a brief introduction and the Scriptural reference. Each section then contains a mixture of story and actual Biblical quotations, which are identified with italics. At the end of each section, there are references/stories that put the section into a historical context. The pictures in this book are prolific. It's not merely one every five to ten pages, but they are on almost every page. I would describe the illustration style as watercolor. Using this illustration style creates a soft and inviting touch. The writing style is very approachable for young readers, but it doesn't dumb down the truth of the Word of God. The presentation style caps this off as it has gilded pages, a ribbon bookmark, and comes in a gift box. This is the perfect Bible to give to your first communicant.

A Missal for Children is a portable semi-leather book that is designed to help children understand what the Mass is and participate more fully in it. It is also designed to help children with morning prayer, evening prayer, and Confession. The book, therefore, begins with the meaning of the Mass and a guide to the Liturgy. These explanations contain information about Liturgical colors, the Liturgical Year, and the mystery that is the Mass. The book is then divided into the different parts of the Mass - Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, the different Eucharistic Prayers, and Concluding Rites. Each section contains a brief introduction and all the prayers of the Mass. The prayers of the Mass are numbered, because there is also a brief explanation on each individual prayer.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with this book. It is of high quality, so it hold up to the frequent use of weekly Mass. It is beautifully illustrated to help enhance learning and keep the attention of young minds. It is also useful for times outside of Mass, including family prayer and it contains a glossary of difficult terms and objects your child will see when attending Mass. This book will stand the test of time and be of use to your children throughout the rest of their elementary years!

These books were provided to me for free by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review.

Treasury of Norse Mythology (National Geographic)

Treasury of Norse Mythology is the third book in National Geographic's series of mythological anthologies, with the fist being Greek and the second being Egyptian. The book begins with an introduction, which stressed the importance of this mythological tales and also explained how they were preserved in the Old Norse, as opposed to Latin, which was the most widely used language at the time. The book then appropriately begins with the Norse creation story. It tells of there being three regions. The north, Niflheim, was frozen with snow and ice. The south, Muspell, was all flame. The middle, Ginnungagap, was empty and waiting. It then tells us about the first frost giant, Ymir, the first god, Buri, who had a son named Bor, and three grandchildren named Odin, Vili, and Ve. Bor's sons and the frost giants hated each other, and eventually Bor's sons killed Ymir. However, from that death came the creation of many other things.

There are seventeen tales in total in this treasury, including tales of Odin, Loki, Thor, and lastly the story of destruction, also known as Ragnarok. The final tale was definitely interesting as it involved a lot of battle, bloodshed, and the eventual destruction of virtually everything and everyone. However, this end was not really an end, but a new beginning instead. Two humans lived and would populate the new cosmos, and one dragon survived who would punish evil ones. At the very end of the book are maps, timelines, and key characters which provide a visual glossary of names. There's also a bibliography which is extremely helpful if you are looking to further read up on Norse mythology.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was first introduced to Norse mythology through the works of Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire, and I would compare this book to their books. I would say it is slightly more advanced, but not by a great deal. The artwork in the book is stunning, very colorful, and plentiful. This is a perfect resource for the homeschool parent or school teacher, as it serves as a nice bridge between the d'Aulaires and higher level mythology books. It's also a good way to get kids who like Thor and the Avengers to read and learn more. A fine book, which I'd recommend. Now will there be a fourth in the series or was this the last one?

This book was provided to me for free by National Geographic in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories (NorthSouth Books)

Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865. That was a little over 150 years ago. To celebrate the birth of this amazing writer, NorthSouth Books has published a beautiful edition of The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories. Many of us know the bare minimum of The Jungle Book story thanks to Walt Disney's popular movie, but there is so much more to the story than Disney showed us. Allow me to tell you about it. The book is divided into sixteen chapters and contains the familiar characters, we've all come to know. There is Mowgli, Baloo the bear, Akela the wolf, Bagheera the panther, Hathi the elephant, Kaa the python, and Shere Khan tiger.

In the first chapter, we see are introduced to Mother Wolf and Father Wolf. They are part of Akela's pack and have just had a litter of pups. While they are tending to their young, a young boy (Mowgli) wandered to them. At first they didn't know what to make of him and were worried, but they decided to adopt him as their own. Shere Khan did not like this and wanted Mowgli for his own, so he could eat him. The wolves protected him and after Shere Khan fled, they took him to Akela. Listening to Mother and Father Wolf vouch for the young boy, Mowgli was accepted into the pack. His mentors became Akela, Baloo, and Bagheera. The stories in this book take us all through Mowgli's childhood. We see him abducted by monkeys, fight Shere Khan, and actually attempt to rejoin a human village. After each chapter, there is a poem that relates to the story we just heard. Thus, this book is both prose and poetry and a beautiful mix at that.

So why would you want to purchase a book that is in public domain? For starters, you are getting a fine hardcover, which to some might not sound like a lot, but to me is worth its weight in gold. With so many books, now being ebooks or paperbacks, it's getting harder and harder to find quality publishing. The other big selling point of this book is the illustrations. They are not on every page, but they are still abundant. The illustrator, Aljoscha Blau, shows a level of detail in them that draw you in and keep you coming back to look at them. They not only complement the stories, but elevate them to another level. NorthSouth Books is a publisher I don't have a great deal of familiarity with, but if these are the kind of books they produce, they have a new fan and supporter. Be sure to check out some of their other beautiful hardcovers, including Heidi and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor.

This book was provided to me for free by NorthSouth Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

How to Fight a Dragon's Fury (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

I received a review copy of How to Fight a Dragon's Fury a few weeks before the book actually went on sale. In true spoiler sport fashion, I flipped to the back of the book and read the epilogue. I did the same thing when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, and I'll do it in the future with other series too. I have to know if a series I have invested myself in is going to end well or if I'm going to be disappointed. I am here to tell you that the twelfth and final installment of Cressida Cowell's popular series did not disappoint.

From the time the series started in 2004, the books have been growing in length. How to Train Your Dragon was a mere 224 pages compared to the behemoth 472 pages that is How to Fight a Dragon's Fury. The main plot lines of this final book involve crowning the King of the Wilderwest (Hiccup Horrendous or Alvin the Treacherous) and a showdown between dragonkind (led by the dragon Furious) and humankind. The dragons have rebelled and believe that they must destroy humanity or risk being destroyed themselves. Only one boy, Hiccup, believes that the world is not black and white. He believes that the two races can coexist and there can be peace between the two. The problem is that he has to convince the enormous dragon Furious this. He also has to do this while being undermined and plotted against by Alvin and his mother the witch.

The writing in this book was beautiful at times and made me forget I was reading aimed at a young boy. "Love never dies [ . . . ] Once we love, we cannot forget, though the flesh hardens around the wound that once bled, though it be buried in one hundred years of chains and twisted around with cruel, growing thorns of the choking forest." I think this quote sums up the series. This is more than an adventure series about riding and fighting dragons. This is a coming of age series, and it's also a love story. Don't mistake me. It's not your traditional love story. It's about a boy whose heart was so pure that he saw the world not as it was but as it could be, as it should be. Peace. Harmony. Love.

However, as great a character as Hiccup is, my favorite character in the series grew to be Fishlegs. To reference Harry Potter, Fishlegs is the Neville of this series. He started off a pathetic, little boy whose character and our knowledge of the character grew with each book. In this final installment, he not only comes into his own, but discovers who his father is. I won't spoil it for you, but their interaction will make you proud of Fishlegs. The Epilogue at the end of the book was a nice touch, and it was written by an adult Hiccup. In it, he reflects on his life and whether or not he was a success or failure. He also explains why we cannot see dragons anymore, but assures the readers that they are still present, just hiding. Lastly, he encourages readers to make the world a better place, in case the dragons ever do come out of hiding. I'm sad to see the series end, but I appreciate the author not milking the series and dragging it out indefinitely. I'll definitely pass this series on to my son when he is old enough, and I look forward to reading it with him when the time comes!

This book was provided to me for free by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

The Adventures of Hermes, God of Thieves (Pushkin Children's Books)

The Adventures of Hermes, God of Thieves is a dust-jacketed hardcover, available from Pushkin Children's Books. It contains 100 adventures or episodes, as the book calls them, which involve the Greek god Hermes and other notable gods, goddesses, and mortals. The book begins with Hermes being born to Maia and an unknown father. His birth is mysterious, though, because he is not a baby but a boy who can walk and talk and explore. Being curious, as all children are, he decides to go into the world and explore. It isn't until Episode Four that his father is revealed to be Zeus.

The episodes are more than just Hermes' adventures, but the episodes serve to introduce us to various aspect of Greek mythology. We witness the birth of the world, the world's first crime, and the defeat of Cronus. In addition to historic events, we also meet some of the more interesting creatures that you can only find in Greek mythology, such as Cyclops, Hundred-Handed Giants, and Gorgons! We also meet heroes like Perseus, Jason, and Odysseus. I especially enjoyed reading about his time in the Underworld. What originally started out as a punishment for his mischief turned into an extraordinary time for Hermes. He befriended his Uncle Hades, regaled him with tales, and earned a new job. He was now the escort to the Underworld for the departed and served the dual-purpose of guide and entertainer so that no one would be terribly distraught before entering this place.

The way this book was structured was very clever. Instead of individual chapters or stories, it was written in serial format. Each episode wasn't the end, but was merely continued in the subsequent episode. This made the book an exciting and ongoing adventure to read over the course of months, or if you're like me and can't put it down, days. There are only a few things that I would change about this book. First, there should be a Table of Contents. If you ever want to re-visit your favorite episodes, you'll either have to make your own notes, or put some tabs in the book to highlight them. I also wish there had been illustrations in this book, not an abundance but enough to catch your eye. These two quibbles aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you are looking for an exciting romp through Greek mythology that is told through the lens of a lesser-known god, then you will enjoy this book too!

This book was provided to me for free by Pushkin Children's Books.

Shakespeare for Children (Tantor Media)

Shakespeare for Children was composed by Charles and Mary Lamb (siblings not spouses) in 1807 as what was originally intended as an introduction to Shakespeare. In this work, they took ten of Shakespeare's plays and made them more kid-friendly by mixing their words with his words. The ten plays in this work, a mix of comedies and tragedies, are as follows:

1. The Tempest
2. A Midsummer Night's Dream
3. Much Ado About Nothing
4. King Lear
5. Macbeth
6. The Taming of the Shrew
7. Twelfth Night
8. Romeo and Juliet
9. Hamlet
10. Othello

It's hard enough to understand Shakespeare when you are in high school, so it seems counter-intuitive to try and present it to children. However, the Lamb siblings manage to make the material approachable without dumbing it down. I applaud that, because I think children respect that. For the most part, children want to be treated with respect and not talked down to. It's no wonder that this is a homeschooling favorite, and it should be a classroom favorite as well! The audio version of these stories range from approximately 25 minutes to 45 minutes. The narrators, Josephine Bailey and Simon Vance, prove to be very regal and match the beauty that is Shakespeare. When buying direct from Tantor Media, you receive a PDF of the book so you can follow along while listening. At $4.99 for an MP3 download, I consider this a steal. If you have young kids looking for something "new" to read, get them this and listen along with them!

This book was provided to me for free by Tantor Media in exchange for an honest review.

First Communion Books (Ignatius Press and Magnificat)

First Communion season is upon us! This is an important milestone for Catholic children in their faith life, and one that should be celebrated! To commemorate this joyous occasion the child is presented with many gifts to help them grow closer in their walk with Christ. The typical gifts are either a Bible or a Rosary, and both are fine gifts. If those gifts have already been covered, and you are scrambling for a gift to get them, I have two book recommendations for you. Both are available from Ignatius Press.

Your First Communion: Meeting Jesus, Your True Joy is a 45 page hardcover, which features the words of Pope Francis to first communicants. The book is divided into five sections:

Meeting Jesus in Holy Communion
The Power of the Sacraments and the Light of Christ
Holy Confession - Meeting Christ Who Loves us Dearly
The Church is Like a Mother
Messages for Life

The book looks like First Communion should with a white cover and gold lettering. It goes nicely with other Magnificat books, like The Catholic Bible for Children and Catholic Saints for Children. The font is nice sized for little readers, and though there is a lot of text on every page, it isn't so much to overwhelm a timid reader. There are also illustrations on every page as well. I especially loved the chapter on Confession. We make such a big deal about children's First Communion that we completely forget/downplay that it's their first Confession as well. It is important to remember that before you go to the table to eat, you must first wash yourself. Perhaps, if we did a better job catechizing our youth about Confession, there wouldn't be such a fear about going. At the very end of the book is a place for your child to write their own prayer to Jesus and a memory page for pictures. Those aren't my cup of tea, but I can see where some parents would find it appealing. What I like best about the book is that the message is simple, but it's not dumbed down. The words are easy enough for a child to understand, and that's vitally important, especially if you are supposed to have faith like a child.

Friendship with Jesus is an illustrated hardcover by Amy Welborn. Amy is no stranger to children's books, and this book does not disappoint. The book begins in a narrative style. Children in Rome had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, and they got to ask him questions. This book records some of the questions the children got to ask the Holy Father. Topics included Pope Benedict's First Communion, Confession, the Real Presence, and the importance of Sunday Mass to name a few. The questions just make sense, and you can see any child asking the same questions that these children did.

I especially loved the section on the Real Presence. A child asked how can we know that Jesus is present in the Eucharist if we cannot see Him? Pope Benedict compared it to electrical current. We can't see it, but we can see and feel the effects. We cannot physically see Jesus like His apostles could, but we see His presence in the lives of His followers. Each question page is flanked by a picture page done in a watercolor style by Ann Engelhart. As a big fan of Pope Benedict XVI, my child(ren) will definitely be receiving this book before their First Communion. I highly recommend it. Be sure to check out the companion to this book by the same author and illustrator combo called Be Saints!

The first book was provided to me for free by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found these reviews helpful, please click here and/or here and hit Yes!

The End of the Fiery Sword (Emmaus Road Publishing)

It's been a bit slow going for children's books in the Catholic publishing world. Therefore, when I see a new one released, I immediately jump on it to see how good it actually is. One of the latest books I've discovered is called The End of the Fiery Sword, available from Emmaus Road Publishing. What initially drew me to this book was that it presented Biblical typology to a young audience. For those unfamiliar with Biblical typology, it is a kind of symbolism where something in the Old Testament prefigures something in the New Testament. The two most well-known examples of this are Jesus being the new Adam and the Virgin Mary being the new Eve, and these are exactly the subjects of focus for this book.

In this book, Maura Roan McKeegan walks us through the Creation passages in Genesis and contrasts them with the life of Jesus and Mary. For example, Eve was created and made to be the mother of all the earth. Mary was created and chosen to be the Mother of God, and thus our Mother as well. A serpent visited Eve and tempted her to disobey God. An angel visited Mary and asked her to obey God. Through Adam's sin the gates of Paradise were closed. Through Jesus dying on the Cross, the gates of Paradise were opened again. There are several more examples in the book, but you get the idea.

Overall, I was impressed with the content in this book. It took a very difficult subject matter, and made it simple for kids and adults alike. The drawing style was not exactly my cup of tea. I think it was something about the faces, but I won't hold that against the book. Perhaps, the most exciting thing to me is the potential. I read on the website that this was part of "Old and New Series." I hope this means that there are more books coming, because there is so much more typology that can be discussed like the Burning Bush prefiguring Mary, Moses or Joseph prefiguring Jesus, and all the Baptism typology such as Noah's Ark and the crossing of the Red Sea.

This book was provided to me for free by Emmaus Road Publishing. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Karol: The Boy Who Became Pope (Neumann Press)

There have been a handful of children's books written about Pope John Paul II. Some focus on his papacy, and others focus on his life as a child. Neumann Press has recently released one entitled Karol: The Boy Who Became Pope. Unlike other John Paul II children's books, this book takes a different focus in the life of Karol Wotyla - his spirit of adventure. This characteristic of his was something that those around him knew all too well. It was also a trait which he didn't suddenly lose when he became Pope, as evidenced by the cover of the book, which shows him skiing even late in life.

The book begins with a bit of information on when Karol was born, who his parents were, and who his brother was. The bulk of the story deals with Karol at age seven, though. He will be making his First Communion when he turns eight, so his father decides that the family should go on a pilgrimage to prepare Karol for his First Communion, and because he believes it would be good for the whole family. Interspersed in the story of the pilgrimage, we find out a few other details of Karol's life, such as sports he played, friends he had, and what his family life was like. After the conclusion of the story, we have an excerpt from his Letter to Children that he wrote in 1994 during the Year of the Family.

I'm still trying to decide how I feel about this book, as I'm conflicted. For starters, the book said that it was going to talk about a few of Karol's adventures, but really only focused on one. Had they just said, this is a story about his pilgrimage before his First Holy Communion, that would be fine. But since they didn't, I can see children feeling mislead. For another thing, there are A LOT of words in this book. The illustrations (cartoonish line drawings that are in color) seem like the book would be geared toward younger children, but the sheer amount of words would say that it would be more suited for 4th graders at a minimum, which is a shame since it mainly talks about him when he is a seven year old. The story was good, but it did jump around a bit. The insertion of bits of his childhood in the story felt unnecessary, especially when there are already books that tell some of the facts this book did. It would have been better suited to just tell the pilgrimage story and nothing else. The pilgrimage story is at least interesting and that's what raises my rating to 4 stars.

This book was provided to me for free by Neumann Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!