Author: Anthony De Stefano
Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press
Age Range – 3 – 6
Once again Sophia and Anthony De Stefano have produced a beautiful picture book. This time it is all about the Angels. With rhyming couplets, De Stefano answers the common questions children have about Angels. For example; Who made the Angels? Do they fly? Do they dress in white? De Stefano goes back to before the beginning of our time, to when God made Angels and Satan rebelled against God.
Using scriptural references, De Stefano explains the role of Angels in our lives. They are healers, messengers and everyday guides. They keep us safe from Satan’s evil and watch over us for our whole lives. They stand vigil and provide comfort when we die. Then children learn that the Angels are present at Mass and that they gather reverently before the altar during the consecration.
Like previous books that De Stefano has written for Sophia Institute Press, the illustrations are large, colourful and gorgeous. Angels figure prominently on each page, glowing with golden light. They are not the cherubic little angels we might think of, but robust, towering creatures who bend attentively around us or dash about us as we go about our day. I very much like that there are many male Angels in the illustrations. They are proud warriors defending against Satan, or in the thick of a smoky fire, guiding firefighters to safety. There are female Angels too, busily watching over a child crossing the road or encouraging a shy child to join in the fun.
A book about Angels might have been a bit like a fairy tale, but De Stefano and Sophia have produced an interesting and engaging story that is full of adventure, courage, love and devotion to God. Jesus and Mary are presented as King and Queen of heaven, sitting on their thrones in the clouds with Angels flying in a long line down to Earth, presumably to help and guide us. This is a delightful book that really targets young children well. It is not sentimental and silly, but refreshingly forthright, not shying away from the ongoing battle between good and evil.
I recommend this very Catholic book to you and your children.
You can purchase How the Angels Got Their Wings HERE.
You can view Anthony De Stefano reading How the Angels Got Their Wings HERE.