Review:
Recently republished by New Hope Publications, the lay Dominican community in New Hope KY, Truth Was Their Star by Sr. Mary Jean Dorcy, OP offers a gentle introduction to various Dominican saints. Naturally, since she is a Dominican, she would be interested in sharing the lives of several Dominican saints. While not talking down to the child, the text is written as though speaking to a younger child. Each chapter is really an introduction to a particular saint offering a vignette about his or her life, or encapsulating a series of popular stories about the saint. These stories do not offer an in-depth analysis or completely cover the details of their lives. Each chapter is accompanied by a lovely paper cut silhouette, which Sr. Mary Jean is very famous for.
My one and only complaint with the book is the inaccurate statement in the book that people thought that the world was flat during the time of Christopher Columbus. This can be easily corrected by pointing out to the child that this is untrue. Christopher Columbus believed that the world was round, and therefore was hoping to go to the east by sailing west.
Originally published in 1947, this paperback is 124 pages with a beautiful silhouette on the cover. The suggested reading level is Gr. 6 to adult, but I think a younger child - advanced 3rd grade, 4th or 5th - would enjoy the book. It would also make an ideal read aloud to a younger child.