"People liked to hear Saint Francis preach. He was kind, cheerful and always smiled. He preached about peace and forgiveness. People liked his simple life. His little group of followers preached and helped sick and poor people. Do we respect the earth and all creation? How can we make our world a better place?"--from Amazon.com.

Mother Bird tells her son stories of St. Francis of Assisi.

"One morning during Mass, Francis heard these words of Jesus from the Gospel: 'Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food.' Francis took off his shoes and threw away his walking stick and the cloak he wore to keep warm. He threw away his belt and tied a piece of rope around his rough robe. Full of joy, he went up to Assisi and sang about the...