Saint Spotting

“Saint Spotting” is the name given by Caldecott Medalist Raschka’s mother to her method of wandering through Catholic churches, a practice that made trips to imposing cathedrals “light, not scary, and even kind of floaty.” In a direct, confiding tone, Raschka offers a survey of major saints, defining sainthood and martyrdom (but not canonization), offering “clues to recognize them,” and going into absorbing, if sometimes opaque, detail about their often-terrible fates: “Here is Saint Catherine with her wheel, which was made to kill her as punishment for teaching the emperor’s wife about Jesus.” Luminous paintings in a mix of muted and saturated hues portray the peach-skinned mother and son—a tall woman with a guidebook and a wide-eyed child—before various icons, gazing in admiration and sometimes, in the boy’s case, in terror. Readers won’t come away with a deep understanding of sainthood, and presenting Jesus alongside saints may confuse rather than clarify his position for those not familiar with Christian tradition. Still, this personal iconography, presented with honesty about the emotions some of the images elicit, offers a gift to families who want to know more about the renderings and stories of saints. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)