“Saint Francis of Assisi”, coloring book page, colored by a “4-year-old”
(My wife teaches 4-year-olds in a Catholic elementary school. The school’s patron saint is Saint Francis. They call this week “Saint Francis Week” and hold various events throughout the week to celebrate the feast of this great saint (Oct. 4th). My wife and her co-teacher were looking for a short, simple biography that would be appropriate for their 4-year-old students. They didn’t find anything that seemed to be the right fit. So here’s what I jotted down for their pre-K-4 class. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. Maybe you will too. Let us “become like little children”.)
.
Saint Francis, a Knight for God
———
There once was a young man. He lived in a land called Italy. He lived a very long time ago. He lived over 800 hundred years ago!
He lived with his family in a small city named Assisi.
The young man was quite silly. He loved to dream and he loved to sing and he loved to dance. He loved to play with his friends all day long.
The young man’s name was Francis.
His father wanted Francis to be more serious. His father wanted Francis to be just like him. He wanted him to sell expensive fabric to people who were very rich. Fabric is what you use to make pretty things like curtains, tablecloths, and clothes.
Francis’ father wanted him to work in the family shop. But Francis was not very interested in that kind of work. Francis wanted to be a great knight!
And one day Francis went off to do just that.
Francis went off to become a knight. He began to travel to another city where he would fight with a sword and a shield. Francis thought that he would become a great hero.
But on his way Francis got very sick. He had to return to his home. His mother took care of him. And while Francis was getting better he began to dream of different adventures.
He began to spend a lot of time walking around the woods and looking at the flowers and at the trees. He began to watch closely all the animals, especially the birds that flew high up into the sky. Francis began to think a lot about God!
Francis began to dream about heaven. He began to wonder about love. He saw that there was another kind of knight!
Francis decided that he would be a knight for God.
Francis wanted Jesus to be his king and for Mary to be his queen.
Francis no longer wanted to use a sword or a shield. No, Francis wanted to teach all the world how to love. Francis wanted to sing and dance and show everyone how be more like Jesus.
He began to live very simply. He had very few things. His only clothing was an old brown robe. He lived almost like a little animal in the forest. Francis was very free. Francis was filled with joy. He was very happy.
And soon many other young men came to join him. They too wanted to be knights for God. They all lived together. They called each other brother. They shared all they had. They were kind to each other. They loved God together.
And one day, even a young lady wanted to join. She brought other ladies and they started a home of their own. They called each other sister. That young lady’s name was Clare.
A new type of family was beginning to grow. A family who lives very much like Jesus. We call them Franciscans.
We now call that young man, Saint Francis. We now call that young lady, Saint Clare.
Saint Francis and Saint Clare are now in heaven with Jesus and Mary and all the holy angels and saints. They live in perfect peace with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. They see us right now. They pray for us too.
Hey, who knows, maybe one day a few of you boys and girls may become knights and ladies of God, like our patron saints, Saint Francis and Saint Clare!
..
—Howard Hain
.
The Victor's Place 
Well written for young imaginative minds. Do a sequel about his later life. Will they have blessing of animals at the school/church?
LikeLike
I read the story of St. Francis to some six and 7 yr old children at Mass,
they seemed to get interested and asked after Mass if their pet dog
could get blessed….so I sent a St.Francis blessing thru this little girl
to her dog, just make the sign of the Cross over the dog and say
God bless you, she was very happy about this and her brother said
he would help out too. Funny how love and blessings can spread so
quickly….. one woman came up and asked me why st francis chose
to die on the ground and not in a bed….. I think it was because he was
very close to nature in all its forms and he knew his body would soon
be buried in the earth…. by the way when they were rebuilding the Church of st francis Peace, in Gubbio, Italy ,the excavators found the skeleton of
a large Wolf next to the old foundation of the Church, it had been there for
hundreds of years….amazing St Francis friend of all animals.
LikeLike
Thanks to Howard Hain for the profound simplicity of his story of St. Francis told for ALL God’s children, and for the coloring book page so beautifully
colored by a 4-year-old child. Animals were blessed this afternoon at
S. Mary’s in celebration of St. Francis’ feast day.
Gloria
LikeLike
ST. FRANCIS DAY MORNING
Thank you, God,
for the early morning hum of life
for the soft glow of fall sunlight
and for the brightness where
it splashes through the dark green grass
for leaves rich with green
not yet touched by frost’s icy fingers
for the topaz-blue sky and the wispy white cloud
that drifts through its jewel-bright intensity
for bright yellow mums reflecting the sun’s brilliance
for the comfortable ticking of clocks, in and out of synch
for my eyes to see, my ears to hear, my hands to tell
of this extraordinary, miraculous, blessed morning
Gloria Ziemienski
October 4, 1994
LikeLike
This life of St. Francis is beautifully told for young children. Thanks, we will use this for our young students in Religious Education.
LikeLike
Howard, turn this into a children’s book. We need to start with the young!
LikeLike