Review and Giveaway: Walking w/ Jesus

I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of Walking With Jesus to Calvary: Stations of the Cross for Children.  I got it in the mail early this year and have been waiting for Lent to roll around given the nature of the book.

Here we are!

The book is written by Angela M. Burrin and illustrated by Maria Cristina Lo Cascio.  Truthfully, the illustrations are what drew me in to the story.  Colorful, fluid and expressive, they told the story of the Stations in beautiful detail.

The writing ended up surprising me.  At first, I was very put off by the "lengthy" paragraphs. Truthfully, I think this is because my expectation was that I'd be able to read it to Vincent. This book is not meant for toddlers.  It's meant for older children - at least 1st grade and up. Once I made peace with that, I found the narrative grew on me.

I especially love how Burrin pays close attention to the Blessed Mother throughout the stations.  Never is she far from her Son.  She, too, is an active participant in His Passion, and Burrin does a wonderful job keeping this in focus for us.  There are some passages that solicited heart-wrenching sadness for her.  For this fact alone, this book has become my favorite Stations book for children.  

Now for the content:

There is a brief Forward that explains what the Stations of the Cross are and why we keep this form of prayer alive.  There is also a page explaining how to pray the stations, offering suggestions for first-timers (It's okay to choose one or two Stations at a time and really focus on them.  You don't have to pray them all at once!).

There is no Table of Contents (I assume with 14 stations, it's hard to get lost).  However, given the Stations are listed where the Table of Contents usually go, I'm not sure why they opted to leave out page numbers.  That could be helpful to veterans who are looking to focus on one or two for a specific prayer intention.

Just before the Stations begin, Burrin wisely decided to explain a little about Holy Thursday, and how Jesus came to be in Pilate's courtyard.  Thus, with the kiss of Judas Iscariot, we begin our journey with the Stations.

At each Station, Biblical quotes are interlaced with imagination as Burrin tells the story of Jesus' Passion in a child-friendly manner.  At the end of each Station, there is a small reflection / prayer kids can offer that brings that footstep of Christ in sync with their own. One, in particular, calls out to the Holy Spirit.  I loved that, because normally the reflection prayers tend to focus solely on Jesus.  

Of course, each Station is beautifully illustrated by Lo Casio.  Some of the images have left me staring at them for many minutes before I realize I've lost myself in their mysteries.  I mean, just look at these two examples.  I apologize, I snapped them with my phone, but even through the grainy iPhone shutter, the powerful emotions pours through:

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Oh, that last one of Our Lady cradling Jesus - it is perfect.  The tree in the background is barren and lifeless (which is poignant given how lively the background trees were in previous Stations).  The atmosphere is grey, foggy and ominous.  Joseph of Arimethea is hunched over them like an old bough weighed down by weather, protective.  Mary's mantle is unfurled to encompass Jesus' Body... an exaggerated drawing, but similar to Michelangelo's Pieta.  The effect is a brutal, gut-wrenching beauty - a mother cradling Her Baby Boy one last time as the entire world mourns with her.

Can you guess where I keep catching myself getting lost?

Finally, the Stations end with the Resurrection (since not all books contain a 15th!).  Burrin includes Mary Magdalene's joyous meeting of her Resurrected Savior, which I always appreciate.  

This book then gifts you a few surprise pages that I think are incredible resources for school-aged children.

The first is a 2 page spread on Prayer Intentions.  After all, when you pray the Stations, you should have some intentions in mind, right?  This useful list suggests everything from family and friends to doctors, politicians and the souls in Purgatory.  I LOVED this, and I thought it was very wise to add this section.

Finally, there was a four-page spread of traditional prayers used while praying the Stations of the Cross.  These pages, just as the Stations, themselves, are beautiful illustrated. These latter pages reminded me of those gorgeous illuminated manuscripts monks would create as they copied the Bible over and over and over again.  

Verdict:  This hard-cover book is a winner, all 45 pages of it.  I am so glad The Word Among Us Press sent it my way for review.  

As a thanks, I'll be giving one away to one of you fine readers!  Enter via Rafflecopter below.

Good luck!

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