Anthony, the Great

First of all, don't ever tell me a picture book is "cute". A friend, (who had been on the Caldecott and Newbery Committees) who was the nicest librarian who ever lived, would get so angry when anyone dismissed a picture book as "cute"-- really people there are so many other words. There is so much depth and complexity in children's literature, at least their should be. Even Captain Underpants has a few different layers. Pictures books are a beautiful medium for authors and illustrators to share stories. They build visual literacy, have depth, and connect children to the world around them.

Most teacher and parents use picture books as teaching tools with young people. For a book to be successful to me, it has to have a gel between the story and illustrations. It should have a flow between pages and as a whole work. Some of the best have a great theme and they should never patronize young people. That's Children's Literature 101 lesson A. Moving on:

Anthony the Great has great artwork, believable and lovable characters, and an important message delivered in an accessible way for young people. My own children are the age of Anthony and his sister in this story and they were delighted by it. Anthony has some big feelings, including some big wants, that he has to process. His feelings are real and honest and hard to deal with. He chooses, even at his young age, to work through them and to try his hardest. This is a story about perseverance and mindfulness, which is very "on trend" but here we talk about it in a context where our focus is on why we are mindful, who gives us the strength to persevere, and the answer is that it comes from the grace of God. Children do not find this profound if we work though it in the context of our every day actions, and see it reflected in characters in our picture books. We look to the lives of the saints and to our patron saint for examples of how to sacrifice and love. This book is a beautiful sharing of  how it can be a blessing in all of our lives to teach our young people how to work through life's difficulties and experience how the struggle changes our world when we meet it with love, kindness, and grace.