Joan of Arc is one of those saints who live large in the Catholic imagination. She was a young mystic who heard heavenly voices, a woman who cut her hair and dressed like a man to do what God asked and lead the French in battle, and a martyr who was falsely accused and burned at the stake for her faith.
Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole and illustrated by Angela Barrett is a lovely way to introduce children to this famous saint, whose feast day is May 30th. Poole tells the story of the young French maiden who began to hear voices from heaven when she was only thirteen years old. Several years later, the voices told her she was chosen by God to help save France and place the rightful king on the French throne in their war against England.
She went to the local captain of the garrison, who quickly dismissed her, but she was relentless until he agreed to help her go to the king. She cut her hair and dressed like a man to travel safely. When she reached the king, he dressed in disguise to test her, but she knew who he was. The king hesitated but allowed her to lead the troops. She was wounded in battle but kept fighting until the victory was secured and the king could be crowned in the cathedral.
But there was to be no happy ending on this earth for Joan. The war continued and the people of Compiegne asked her to help them. She was captured during the battle. St. Michael and the archangels visited her in prison. She was tried in English by a bishop who had been paid to make sure she was found guilty of heresy. She was martyred by being burned at the stake.
The story ends with the line: “But that was not the end. A saint is like a star. A star and a saint shine forever” (30). I wish that the book ended with some information on how her reputation was rehabilitated and how she was eventually canonized as a saint. As it is, it feels incomplete. (Plus, stars don’t technically last forever, while saints are eternal.) That is my only criticism of an otherwise informative and appealing book. The illustrations by Angela Barrett remind me of pre-Raphaelite style images and add a great deal to the presentation.
Joan of Arc is a new Ignatius Books reprint of a story originally published in 1998 by Knopf Books. It would make a great read-aloud at home or in a religious education class. It is designed for children ages seven and up.
