Pascual and the Kitchen Angels

Tomie dePaola has recently become one of my and Therese’s favorite children’s authors.  He’s a great illustrator, and he also writes many Catholic books about the saints. 

Our most recent find at the library is Pascual and the Kitchen Angels about St. Pascual and how God had found him so special that He always sent angels to help him throughout his life. Pascual ends up at the monestary of St. Francis because he wanted to feed the hungry, but he was put to cook in the kitchen. He hadn’t the first clue of how to even boil water. Then he kneeled and prayed and God sent angels to cook for him. The other friars never let him go out with them to feed the hungry because they think he was too busy cooking. One day they peek in on him to find out how he cooks such delicious meals and see the angels. And from then on they let him go with them to feed those in need.

This has been a great book for our family as it has given us a way to relate to Therese what Pascual wanted to do with why we feed the homeless. Therese sees the importance of her part of making the sack lunches for the homeless that we carry in the car–and many times she asks to make more after we read this book. Even though she’d deny it, she’s a little kitchen angel herself.