Just For Today

by Saint John XXIII, Bimba Landmann (Illustrator)

Overview

Known fondly as "The Good Pope," John XXIII was recently canonized as a saint, and his daily Decalogue continues to be a source of inspiration for people the world over. In this picture book, graceful illustrations connect the text to everyday life, showing how the statements apply to school, family, and friendships.

The pairing of Saint John XXIII's cherished words and Bimba Landmann's symbolic artwork instills readers of all ages with a sense of peace while they savor each page. This lovely book provides the perfect reminder of how to make the most of every day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802854612
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/01/2015
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	1,094,450
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Saint John XXIII served as pope from 1958 until his death in 1963. During his lifetime, he helped save the lives of thousands of Jews fleeing the Holocaust, made a significant effort to resolve the Cuban missile crisis, and founded the Second Vatican Coun


Bimba Landmann has illustrated over a dozen children'sbooks, including Clare and Francis, InSearch of the Little Prince, and I Am MarcChagall (all Eerdmans). Bimba was born in Milan, Italy,where she currently lives with her husband and son.

Editorial Reviews

02/23/2015
A prayer attributed to newly canonized Saint John XXIII, the pope who founded the watershed Second Vatican Council, is brought to gorgeous illustrated life by Italian illustrator Landmann (In Search of the Little Prince). The saint’s prayer is described as a “decalogue for daily living,” and spread after spread depicts a school-age boy in his daily activities, from awakening and getting dressed to reading a book at bedtime—Landmann depicts her own book. “Just for today” begins a series of injunctions that constitute a gentle invocation (“Just for today, I will try to live for this day alone”). The setting is ostensibly modern—clocks hang on walls—but a landscape filled with turrets, towers, and the blue hues of (presumably) Mediterranean sea and sky lend a slightly magical quality to the scenes. Multiple details are charmingly incongruous: miniature figures are tucked into several images, and birds abound, including an owl in a classroom and a bird bearing a pocket watch on a string as the boy lolls on a beach. Visually irresistible and inspiring. All ages. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews
"Landmann has made a near-magical series of images illustrating [Pope John XXIII's] prayer. . . . Plenty of wisdom here for older children and adults of many faiths."

Booklist (Starred Review)
“Invites children to think about their own lives and give them pointers and signposts. . . . Landmann does an extraordinary job of illustration. The stylized paintings, set against a medieval Mediterranean background, have a weight that matches the importance of the words, but there is still room for whimsy. . . . A gift for the eyes and mind.”

Our Sunday Visitor 
“Each reflection is beautiful and thoughtful — a mini examination of conscience to recite in the quiet of morning before the rush of the day begins. And in this children-friendly format, it’s a reflection the whole family easily can take part in.”

Publishers Weekly
“Visually irresistible and inspiring.”

Catholic News Service
"Bimba Landmann brings to life with colorful and intriguing illustrations Pope John XXIII's decalogue of how to live each day humbly, politely and lovingly toward God and others. . . . A keepsake."

From the Publisher

04/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Based on the Daily Decalogues of Pope John XXIII, who was known as the Good Pope and who was recently canonized, this picture book is attractive, though of limited use to most readers. These 10 commandments offer suggestions for living a peaceful and purposeful life: dress simply, be polite and kind to others, refrain from criticism, be happy and know that God loves you, do a good deed without bragging, and perform an unpleasant task without complaining. Oddly, although the original states that reading for 10 minutes a day is as necessary to the soul as food is for the body, this version instead encourages communing with God. Chagall-esque watercolor illustrations in muted tones of blues, yellows, and greens make for a dreamlike accompaniment to the text. VERDICT A potential read-aloud option for younger children in schools and libraries serving a religion-based curriculum.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY

School Library Journal

2015-02-16
Landmann illustrates the decalogue of Angelo Roncalli, probably best known as Pope John XXIII and now St. John—a simple set of 10 precepts to live by.Each day, he would be polite, he would not criticize, he would spend 10 minutes in silence listening to God. "Just for today, I will make a plan: perhaps I will not follow it perfectly, but still I will make it. And I will guard against two evils: haste and indecision." He concludes knowing that it is hard to think of doing those things for a lifetime, but for 12 hours? Surely one can do that. The original Italian is not quite so stiff, although it is as formal; the advice in any language is strong but gentle, as the man himself was. Landmann has made a near-magical series of images illustrating this prayer: of a boy, of a city of turrets and domes, of a classroom in which each child has an animal companion like a guardian angel (or one of Philip Pullman's daemons), of rooftops and forest and ocean. Her surreal approach is ideal for the ethereal subject. The palette is blue and gold, and the line is delicate. The credo is a bit too wordy for very young children, but they might be taken by the images, and the repetition of "just for today" has a comforting, rhythmic weight.There's plenty of wisdom here for older children and adults of many faiths. (Picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews