If you have young children interested in the story of how a saint grew up and came to live a holy life, a new book by Dessi Jackson will captivate their interest. The Legend of Saint Rocco and his Dog, illustrated by Martina Parnelli, also includes a Christmas tie-in and, as the title indicates, a dog.
Rocco was fascinated by the story of Saint Francis of Assisi, who had lived about a century earlier. Even as a child, he wanted to help people in need, particularly children. By the time he was a young adult, Rocco had been orphaned and he gave up the chance of a life of luxury to live as a pilgrim, joining the Third Order of Saint Francis (now known as the Secular Franciscans) and walking from town to town, praying and helping others.
As you and your child read this book together, you’ll learn about how Rocco saved an entire village from a terrible plague and how his depiction of a live Nativity converted a man’s hard heart. Rocco eventually became ill, and his own life was saved by a mysterious dog that brought him food each day. But this is just the beginning of the fascinating story of a little-known saint and his devoted dog.
This book will make a fun read-aloud for children ages 5 and up.
[A personal note: one of my grandmothers had a great devotion to Saint Rocco (also known as Saint Roch), and kept a statue of the saint and his little dog near her bed. I had no idea that Rocco was a Franciscan saint until very recently.]
This book is now available on Amazon.com and will make a great addition to your Advent book basket!
Copyright 2024 Barb Szyszkiewicz
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
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