Review by Booklist Review
In his signature watercolors, Raschka depicts himself as a child, walking through a church with his mother as they examine the paintings of saints that line the walls. She teaches him to glean information about the saints by deciphering clues within each painting: "For instance, Saint Anthony was kind and loved reading, so you will see him holding a book or a baby (usually Jesus as a baby) or both." Saint Sebastian, the author's favorite, "was easy to spot" due to the arrows penetrating his body, while pictures of Saint Lucy holding a platter with eyes on it always frightened him. Thirty-five saints are introduced along with short descriptions of how to identify them. Words such as martyr, nun, Christ, and Protestant are simply defined for youngsters. The colorful illustrations feature plenty of gold, and the paintings vary in size and shape, adding to their interest. A map of the inside of a church shows where each picture is located, and a legend lists the name of each corresponding saint.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Saint Spotting" is the name given by Caldecott Medalist Raschka's mother to her method of wandering through Catholic churches, a practice that made trips to imposing cathedrals "light, not scary, and even kind of floaty." In a direct, confiding tone, Raschka offers a survey of major saints, defining sainthood and martyrdom (but not canonization), offering "clues to recognize them," and going into absorbing, if sometimes opaque, detail about their often-terrible fates: "Here is Saint Catherine with her wheel, which was made to kill her as punishment for teaching the emperor's wife about Jesus." Luminous paintings in a mix of muted and saturated hues portray the peach-skinned mother and son--a tall woman with a guidebook and a wide-eyed child--before various icons, gazing in admiration and sometimes, in the boy's case, in terror. Readers won't come away with a deep understanding of sainthood, and presenting Jesus alongside saints may confuse rather than clarify his position for those not familiar with Christian tradition. Still, this personal iconography, presented with honesty about the emotions some of the images elicit, offers a gift to families who want to know more about the renderings and stories of saints. Ages 4--8. (Apr.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--5--Raschka's engaging and expressive watercolors take readers on an adventure examining a towering church full of the images and symbology of many saints. As a child, Raschka explains in the text, he and his mother would explore the visuals of a church and go "saint spotting." The rest of the text focuses on the different saints who might be seen and the symbols that accompany them, which further illuminate their role in the development of the Christian faith. The book relates that the images were an entryway for those who couldn't read to learn the stories of the Bible and the early church. The author acknowledges that the lives of some of the saints (and particularly their deaths/martyrdoms) were not always pleasant and that the imagery that might be seen in a church is better understood with additional context. Balanced between respecting the faith that keeps these stories alive and the history of the Christian church, this book is a welcome resource for readers going on a "saint spotting" adventure of their own. While there is not enough information in the text for research purposes, this title has the potential to make church visiting, particularly for those young people who do not attend a church with such imagery, a much more engaging and informative experience, with the caveat that not all saints are in all churches. VERDICT Useful for those wanting to understand church imagery or as an introduction to some of the stories of the early history of Christianity. For churches with stained glass windows or other art with this type of imagery, this would make an ideal book to have in the pews or church library for young people who might find saint spotting an interesting entry point to their visit.--John Scott, Friends Sch. of Baltimore
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Review by Horn Book Review
Framing the book as an autobiographical recollection, Raschka provides a guide to "Saint Spotting," a sort of game he and his mother would play while visiting a (saints-having) Christian church and looking for the images of saints throughout. For each of the thirty-plus saints shown in small, icon-like watercolor vignettes, Raschka provides a thumbnail, child-friendly description of how the saint is generally portrayed ("Saint Nicholas's symbol is three bags of gold, which he gave to the poor") and why he or she is remembered ("Our story of Santa Claus comes from him"). While the tone is always gentle and devout, Raschka is honest about the gruesome appeal of some of the hagiographical detail, such as Saint Lucy's eyes on a platter and Saint Sebastian's piercings ("Saint Sebastian was always my favorite, because he's easy to spot"). When the narrator and his mother get to the front of the church and the images of Jesus and Mary, Raschka explains the Crucifixion well enough but, oddly, omits any mention or image of the Resurrection. But the book is respectful, agreeably idiosyncratic, and conveys much of the mystery of a space deemed sacred. The tall and narrow orientation of the volume suggests both a church spire and a tourist's guidebook and definitely invites opening. Roger Sutton May/June 2021 p.154(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two-time Caldecott winner Raschka shares his mother's special way to visit a church: "saint spotting." "A church is a weighty thing, isn't it?" With heavy doors, high ceilings, and stone walls, a church can be an intimidating place for a child. Raschka invites readers to think differently by joining a school-age version of himself and his mother on a personal tour--complete with a painted map. Saint spotting is just what it sounds like: a sort of religious scavenger hunt in which one spots saints by their associated symbols inside a church. Through Raschka's brief introductions, readers learn about 36 saints and their symbols, including the most important figures of Christianity: Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the Evangelists. Illustrations in broadly stroked watercolor primarily of golden hues boost the book's warmth and welcoming tone. Beautiful endpapers depict rows of animals, such as doves and lambs, that underscore the book's biblical nature. The book begins and ends with an illustration of Raschka and his mother, hand in hand, at the entrance of a huge Gothic church with a beautiful stained-glass rose window, the book's exceptionally narrow trim echoing the verticality of the building. Clearly this was a special shared mother-son childhood experience, and readers will leave feeling like they were just let in on a cherished secret game. Most characters depicted, including the protagonist and his mother, present White, but there are some saints of color. A charming, light, and personal introduction to saints and their symbolism. (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
