The Life of Jesus
Grade 3 Up—Billingsley has divided this book according to the four "Mysteries" that are emblematic of Christ's life—"Joyful," "Luminous," "Sorrowful," and "Glorious," and then into subsections about each of its five parts. The book is remarkable in the accessibility it offers to readers of all ages. The introductory page provides visual instruction—a painting of a rosary with labels and arrows indicating which beads are meant for each prayer—followed by the prayers themselves. Each Mystery is presented on a full page with a short narrative centered on white space, followed below by the name of the next recited prayer in italics. This flows to the next narrative piece and the prayer that follows it. The language is especially chosen to clarify biblical verbiage often misconstrued by children. Each left-hand facing page shows a full-color illustration of the Mystery. Billingsley's unusual technique is what stands out; she has created "shrines" of everyday objects, flowers, puppets, children's toys arranged in a vignette, and then reproduced them in gouache. The overall effect is child-friendly but also intensely emotionally evocative. Other rosary guides for children are useful and come in more "pew friendly" formats; this book adds elements that enhance the meditative and contemplative demands of the rosary devotion.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.