Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told By a Cat
Ignatius Press - Ignatius Press
Release date: 2008-03-06
Hardcover
Author: Jeanne Perego
Juvenile Nonfiction, Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction, Children: Grades 4-6, Biography & Autobiography - Religious, Religion - Christianity - Christian Life, 1927-, Benedict, Biography, Juvenile literature, Pope,, Popes, XVI,
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Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told By a Cat
Date undefinedI really wanted to love this book. After all, the narrator is a ginger tabby (my favorite color and type of cat) and the subject is Pope Benedict XVI (a learned and compassionate man), who, as titular head of the Roman Catholic Church, is one of the most highly revered men on the planet.
This particular story is the authorized biography of Benedict's life for children. And it is a lovely, well-written story for children.
So, what's my objection? It pains my heart to write this and is meant in no way a criticism of the pope or the church. This cat Chico was there in the town of Marktl-on-Inn, April 16, 1927, when Joseph Ratzinger was born, and he was still alive when Joseph was declared the new pope, on April 19, 2005. That makes that cat 78 years old (or older)--that's in people years. In cat years, he is 546 years old.
At first, I thought I was mistaken until I double-checked the illustrations. No, Chico is there in Joseph's life right from the beginning. Was I supposed to go with artistic license to pretend I didn't notice how old the cat is? Reservations aside, the story is interesting, informative, and quite pleasant.
My other objection is the copious amount of words used in a children's story. As it is written for ages 9-12, then the target audience is correct. However, this book is designed with illustrations--beautiful ones at that--to show various scenes from Joseph's life. The book, then, becomes an unusual combination of words for older children and illustrations for younger children. However, one thing is for certain: Children should never outgrow their love of picture stories. Truthfully, this book is as much for adults as children, for cat lovers as much as Catholics, for the aesthetics as much as the information.
As for the information therein, here is a list of things one learns from reading this book:
1. Joseph's father was a police officer.
2. Joseph took piano lessons
3. Joseph had to fight in the war. His job was to guard an airplane motor factory.
4. In seminary he studied Latin, philosophy, and theology. He wanted to become a priest and teacher.
5. He was part of Vatican II.
6. He became good friends with Pope John Paul II.
7. In 2005 he became Pope Benedict XVI.
8. He had a ginger tabby named Chico.
I highly recommend this book. The art is beautiful, the story is interesting. Readers do gain an excellent sense of who this man is and what he is about. Whether we are on an intimate terms with him, like Chico, and call him Joseph, or reverent terms to call him Pope Benedict, he is one of the central figures of history in the making.
Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told By a Cat
Date undefinedI thought this book had loads of potential. The illustrations are wonderful, the theme terrific, but its a bit wordy for the young audience I read it to.
Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told By a Cat
Date undefinedIt's hard to tell for whom this short biography of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) is intended. The narrator is a cat, whose storytelling style is very much in the vein of picture books intended for quite young children, much younger than the 9-12 age group suggested by the publisher. But the vocabulary and sentence structure are too advanced for young children and some 9-year-olds will be challenged by a sentence like "While Joseph and Georg set off toward would become their future life in the Church, a tragedy was developing in Germany that would throw the whole world into turmoil." There are some excellent bits of feline wisdom, such as the Latin words for "cat" and "mouse," and the observation that cats choose their people, rather than the reverse; and the text is illustrated by truly outstanding drawings that can be appreciated by children and adults of any age. It makes a very attractive coffee table book, and one that Catholic parents may enjoy reading with their children.
