This is a lovely book with color photos of the Holy Father with children and quotes from speeches and letters that the Holy Father has addressed to children throughout the world. I was so pleased to find such an appealing Catholic book with color pictures and solid text.

The Pictures: Besides photos of the Pope holding and hugging children, there are: a large first communion class pictured with the Pope, a bishop and a number of nuns (in full habit); children from around the world praying (these are very beautiful and quite reverent - such as a group of girls from South Korea in traditional costume in addition to lace chapel veils singing); a picture of the Pope in a classroom looking at a young boy's schoolwork, children stopping their play by a river to look up and wave at the Pope driving by in the "popemobile", two young children receiving their First Holy Communion from the Holy Father (on the tongue!), a baby being baptized by the Pope, and a vintage picture of the Holy Father at his own First Holy Communion (along with a few paragraphs of his remembrance of the occasion).

The Text: Even better than the pictures is the text. Rather than someone else's interpretation of the Pope, we have the Pope himself, appealing to children to pray for him and for the world, to remember Jesus in the Eucharist even in their play and on vacation, renounce violence and learn to love peace in the way the Lord teaches us. They are very thoughtful and powerful passages to read and reflect upon for children of all ages The quotes are well-chosen and are so beautiful and revealing and contain so much truth about children that they would also make excellent meditations for newly-married couples and expectant mothers (and really all parents - even the best parents can use a healthy reminder of the great gifts God has given us in our children - particularly when the house is torn apart, the two year old is wreaking havoc and the baby is crying!!).

This short chapter book on the life of Pope John Paul II focuses on his childhood and upbringing in Poland. He had a difficult childhood, losing his mother when he was only a boy and his only brother and his father when he was only a young man. We see him draw closer to God during these troubles and eventually discover his vocation to the priesthood during the terrible days of World War II. The story also decribes some of the happier and even humorous moments of his childhood and children will see that in many ways he was an "ordinary" boy destined for unordinary things. Mrs. Mohan is not a great writer, but those weaknesses are compensated for by the greatness of "the story" itself. The text is illustrated with pen and ink drawings (again, somewhat on the mediocre side). The appendix includes a timeline of the Holy Father's life, some quotations by and about the Pope, a somewhat complex map of Poland, a glossary and an index. There is a list entitled "Further Reading". Some of these titles, while perhaps having some informational value in researching a book on the Pope, should not be considered recommended reading, especially for children. (One of the titles was written by Andrew Greeley who might readily be described as a pseudo-Catholic). Also, since the writing of this book there are more good comprehensive resources available about the Holy Father's life, such as Witness to Hope by George Wiegel.