Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert

By Gary D. Schmidt

Book Overview

2013 Pura Belpre Award for Illustration As the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a former slave, Martin de Porres was born into extreme poverty. Even so, his mother begged the church fathers to allow him into the priesthood. Instead, Martin was accepted as a servant boy. But soon, the young man was performing miracles. Rumors began to fly around the city of a strange mulatto boy with healing hands, who gave first to the people of the barrios . Martin continued to serve in the church, until he was finally received by the Dominican Order, no longer called the worthless son of a slave, but rather a saint and the rose in the desert.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0547612184
• ISBN13: 9780547612188
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.3" x 10.7"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

Beautifully Illustrated

A beautifully Illustrated book about St. Martin de Porres. It talks briefly about his upbringing, then focuses on how he was initially rejected from a religious order due to his race - but continued to follow his calling to serve God and the poor. A good starting point for conversations about discrimination, humility, and service. Some miraculous/mythical aspects are included in the story that I haven't fully researched yet.