The Circle of Days

by Reeve Lindbergh, Cathie Felstead (Illustrator)

Inspirational and gloriously illustrated, THE CIRCLE OF DAYS honors the beauty of the natural world. (ages 5-12)In 1225, Saint Francis of Assisi wrote the Canticle of the Sun, a moving hymn of praise for all creation that has been adapted to poetry and song for centuries. Reeve Lindbergh evokes its gentle power once again with THE CIRCLE OF DAYS, quietly blending her words with those of Saint Francis to honor the elements, the animals, the heavens, and the very breath of life. With marvelous, jewel-toned paintings by Cathie Felstead echoing the childlike reverence of the poem, THE CIRCLE OF DAYS reminds children and adults alike to pause, to wonder at, and to give thanks for the beauty of our world.Now in paperback, this accessible edition features a beautiful new cover.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Picture Books, Thanksgiving, Childrens, Animals, Spirituality, Poetry

25 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Children's author, novelist, and poet Reeve Lindbergh is the daughter of world-renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, the talented writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord, we offer thanks and praise for the circle of our days. Praise for radiant brother sun, Who makes the hours around us run. For sister moon, and for the stars, Brilliant, precious, always ours. Praise for brother wind and air, Serene or cloudy, foul or fair. For sister water, clear and chaste, Useful humble, good to taste. For fire, our brother, strong and bright, Whose joy illuminates the night. Praise for our sister, mother earth, Who cares for each of us from birth. For all her children, fierce or milk, For sister, brother, parent, child. For creatures wild, and creatures tame, For hunter, hunted, both the same. For brother sleep, and sister death, Who tend the borders of our breath. For desert, orchard, rock and tree, For forest, meadow, mountain, sea, For fruit and flower, plant and bush, For morning robin, evening thrush. For all your gifts, of every kind, We offer praise with quiet mind. Be with us, Lord, and guide our ways Around the circle of our days.

From the "Canticle of the Sun" by Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) written in 1225 has been adapted in poetry and song throughout the centuries, as a hymn of praise.

[Andrew Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based off of a hymn by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1225, this book is a prayer to God thanking him for all the things we have on this earth. Illustrations are beautiful but one would have to be careful how it was used in the classroom setting since it is somewhat religious. There is a theme of Thanksgiving and gratitude in this book which makes it a good choice when teaching this character building moral to children.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't look through this at the library, just chose it based on cover and title alone. It's a prayer thanking God for all of creation and has neat illustrations to go along. It's not overtly religious, however, just saying "thank the Lord" in the beginning and end. Really a nice book.

[Tanita Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this in hardback, and it's even better.

[Lupine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely done version of "Canticle of the Sun" by St Francis of Assisi. A book about thankfulness for the world around us. Lovely illustrations

[Mainchild]

PIC Lind

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 1/2 - beautifully illustrated. I don't think we appreciated the text as much as we did the style of the illustrations.

[Turrean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely picture book version of a prayer by St. Fancis of Assisi.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book based on St. Francis' Canticle of the Sun. Beautiful illustrations! A prayer of thank and praise for all creation.

[Robyn Yeary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this children s book, I keep it in reach as a reminder to stay in a place of appreciation.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dull version of this classic.

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband and I are kind of into reading about the Lindbergh Kidnapping lately, and when I discovered that Reeve Lindbergh is a daughter of Charles and Anne Morris, and that she has written children’s books, I made it a point to get as many as I could. As a retired children’s librarian, I’d apparently read several of her books before without making the Lindbergh connection. Many of them are now out of print, but I got as many as I could via my public library and Amazon marketplace.

I was not familiar with this particular book, but it is beautifully illustrated and I loved it! It is based on a prayer by St. Francis of Assisi. Because of the religious slant, I couldn’t have used it with children in the public library, but J personally enjoyed it very much.

[Holli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reeve Lindbergh's excellent adaptation of St. Francis's Canticle of the Sun. The kind of book I would give as a gift. It helps us find our place in "the family of things," as Mary Oliver says. The illustrations are painted paper collages that are colorful, joyful, and inclusive. A main illustration on each spread accompanied by smaller "thumbnail" illustrations so there's a lot to look at.

[Maria Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece.