Madeline Finn and the Blessing of the Animals - Lisa Papp - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Lisa Papp

SERIES: Madeline Finn, #4

GENRE: Children's Picture Book

PUBLICATION DATE: September 12, 2023

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: The fourth and final book of the Madeline Finn series. The content and the tone are different this time, as can be guessed from the title. Not directly faith-oriented, but it does include the ritual of the blessing of animals. The story and the message are still lovely though, as are the illustrations. Recommended.

Plot Preview:

It’s a special day. Madeline and her mom are taking Star and Bonnie to the annual Blessing of the Animals. The reverend at the park offers a special blessing to all the animals turn by turn, which leaves Madeline feeling awed. Madeline knows that there are more animals who deserve the blessing, but they are all at the animal shelter. With a long line of animals still at the park awaiting their turn, the reverend cannot leave. So she passes on to Madeline a special gift and message, and Madeline is happy to pass it ahead to her furry friends, but will she be able to do so with the same grace as the reverend did?

The story is written in Madeline’s first-person perspective.

A few years ago, a priest named Fr. Joe D’Souza served in our parish. Fr. Joe loved animals and even had a pet Pomeranian dog named Wolfie, who was the darling of all the kids in church. Every year, on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (the patron saint of animals and the environment), Fr. Joe asked all parishioners to get their pets to church for the Blessing of the Animals. We never had pets, but I used to take my little ones with me to church so that they could enjoy the grand assemblage of not just dogs and cats of various breeds but also parrots, cockatoos, rabbits, guinea pigs, and even turtles gathered in the church with their pet parents and awaiting the blessing. It used to be a memorable occasion, and took place annually until Fr. Joe was transferred to another parish and the new priests didn’t continue the special service. Reading this book reminded me of that beautiful event, when I saw all of God’s creatures being given importance and respect for their unconditional love towards humans, the caretakers of this planet. (Yeah, caretakers, not masters.)

The first three books of this series had a twin focus: dogs and reading. This time around, reading is not the major element, but in compensation, we get cats in addition to the dogs. So all is still well.

The tone is also different this time, with the blessing scenes bringing in a faith-related angle. While the story is still general enough to be read by all (the blessing takes place in a park, not in/near a church), the act *might* be more meaningful to Christians. The book obviously presumes a familiarity with the ritual, so there is no explanation provided beyond one vague detail: “the celebration comes just once a year”. I am not sure if the physical book includes some kind of a parting note offering more details on the special blessing and why it is annual.

As a practising Christian, I didn’t have any problem with the content. I was just surprised at the sudden incorporation of a faith-based angle into the series. I hope this doesn’t restrict the target readership for the book because it still has a lovely message to offer.

The second half of the story takes place in the animal shelter, demonstrating the joy of handwritten notes. This part of the story is filled with adorable animals and heartwarming scenes that will bring great joy to its little readers.

The illustrations are wonderful, as expected. Madeline’s expressions are again so well-sketched! I also loved the numerous cats and dogs in the story. (The woman reverend is sketched wearing a brown robe akin to that of the Capuchin Friars, which is an all-male denomination. So I have absolutely no idea what denomination the woman reverend belongs to. Does anyone who read the book have any idea?)

The audiobook, clocking at ten minutes, is once again narrated by Merissa Czyz, and she again does a fabulous job. My feedback of the audio version is the same: amazing to listen to, but I missed the graphics.

Overall, I loved this story as well, but didn’t adore it as much as the rest of the series. I wish it had greater details on the significance of the blessing. Regardless, it is a beautiful book with an important moral that’s relevant to all regardless of their religious stance.

Recommended, preferably to those who don’t mind faith-based content in picture books. The target audience is readers aged 4-8 years.

This was again a library read for the audio version, with some cheating by opting for the Youtube version on the channel ‘Gammy has a Story for You’ so that I could look at the graphics.