I didn’t expect to find myself in tears after reading a book that’s barely 30 pages long, but that’s what happened when I came across Mother Cabrini: A Heart for the World by Claudia Cangilla McAdam. It’s just that good.
If you want to introduce your students, children, or grandchildren to the inimitable Mother Cabrini, you’ll want this powerful picture book! You can pre-order it now in advance of its release date on April 2.
Sophia Institute Press worked with Angel Studios to create the Mother Cabrini book in conjunction with the new Cabrini movie, in theaters as of March 8.
Angel Studios produced the major motion picture, Cabrini, to tell the incredible true story of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant religious sister who arrived in New York City in 1889 to battle disease, crime, and corruption on behalf of impoverished children. Mother Cabrini built an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.
Discover the world of Francesca Cabrini in this moving picture book that educates children about a remarkable person in American and Catholic history, and inspires them with stories of her compassion, courage, vision, and miracles. She is the role model our kids need. (And how special is it that the author is an Italian-American Catholic woman, just like Mother Cabrini?)
The first American citizen to be canonized, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini rescued forgotten children, even from the dark, damp sewers of New York City, and provided them with safe havens, loving comfort, and a quality education. The book shows these things happening in a way that kids can understand and appreciate.
Mother Cabrini shows children characters much like themselves -- little heroes who joined St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in her mission to establish orphanages, hospitals, and schools across the United States, Central and Latin America, Europe, and beyond. I can already tell that this beautiful book is going to inspire so much wholesome imaginative play for my kids and their friends!
Through captivating storytelling, this book introduces young minds to the incredible journeys of a woman who, despite her frailty, overcame countless challenges to bring God’s love to the poor and forgotten. For example, even though Mother Cabrini was afraid of water, she received the strength to sail across the ocean more than two dozen times!
I’ve often said that the artwork really makes or breaks a picture book, and this gem of a book does not disappoint! The vibrant artwork of Richard Cowdrey, a New York Times bestselling children’s book illustrator, brings to life Mother Cabrini’s story on every page.
Hopefully this book will inspire our own children, students, and any kids in our lives to develop the compassion, courage, and faith in God that Mother Cabrini had and that will guide them well in their future adventures.
