Pat Mora

The Song of Francis and the Animals
Eerdmans Books, illustrated by David Frampton
Download a hi-res jpeg of the book jacket.

With lilting verse and playful imagery, award-winning author Pat Mora celebrates the tender relationship between the beloved saint and the animals whom he adored. Woodcut artist David Frampton captures the exuberant songs of Francis and the animals in charming, colorful woodcuts that underscore the harmony between humans and the natural world.

Inspired by Saint Francis’s own reverence and love for animals, this book will encourage readers young and old to join in with the clucks of the chickens, the whirring of the cicadas, and the songs of the nightingale.

Highlighted Reviews
“Strikingly beautiful woodcuts and oversized format create a first-rate visual accompaniment to this imaginative story about St. Francis of Assisi. The cover illustration shows a parade of animals following St. Francis, with just his sandal and the bottom of his robe in view, as he seems to stride off the cover’s edge, leading the reader into the story. The lyrical text focuses on St. Francis’s affinity with animals and describes him simply as a man who preached and sang with 'people and flowers and fish and frogs.' His powerful connection to animals through several encounters: saving a worm, taming a wolf, and sheltering and singing with birds. … this treatment serves well as an introduction to the saint who lived in a down-to-earth fashion.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Mora...praises in poetry Saint Francis’ calming way of communing with creatures great and small in this celebratory picture book, made all the more joyous by Frampton’s (The Whole Night Through) handsome colored woodcuts.”—Publishers Weekly

Here is one of the many public images of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology, a man respected by people of many faiths. This mural of St. Francis Blessing the Animals was done by artist Leo Politi. It's in Los Angeles, on the Eugene Biscailuz Building of Olvera Street. See more pictures of the mural.