November 3 is the feast day of St. Martin de Porres. This year was the first year we found any book to highlight this saint. St. Martin was a Dominican brother who lived in Peru in the 16th century. Ann Tompert has written a wonderful book called The Pied Piper of Peru to pass on one of the many stories about Martin de Porres.
Martin was known for his many acts of compassion and kindness especially towards the poor in his city. But this story focuses on his love for even the smallest creatures, the mice.
The Pied Piper of Peru is told from the point of view of a mouse whose family is in danger after the head of the priory becomes aware that the place is overrun with mice. Martin is given the job of getting rid of the problem. He wants to be obedient to his superior but doesn’t want the mice to be harmed.
I love the colors in the illustrations. The mice are drawn with similar colors and features as in Beatrix Potter’s books. The backdrop is the realistic looking priory rooms, detailed rustic wood and earthen colors.
This is a wonderful book to read at any time but I have it on my list for November for next year to be sure we get it in time for St. Martin’s feast day. It is likely you can find it in the library, as we did.
[…] The second Patrick book is by Ann Tompert, who I only recently discovered and have been impressed by her books. You can find my review about her other book here. […]
[…] Tompert, simply called Saint Nicholas. I previously reviewed other books by Ann Tompert (here and here), and I consider her with as much respect as Tomie de Paola with regards to her skill in re-telling […]