
Karen Estep reviews a new edition of the beloved children's book by Tomie dePaola from Magnificat/Ignatius Press.
The Lady of Guadalupe
by Tomie dePaola
Publisher: Magnificat/Ignatius Press
Tomie dePaola is one of my favorite author/illustrators because he tells stories visually first and then he uses words. The Lady of Guadalupe is no different, and the visual storytelling in this book is top notch. Just by looking at the pictures, I can hear the busy streets of Mexico City in the 1500s, mixed with the quietness of the countryside when Juan Diego is visited by Our Lady of Guadalupe. I don’t know how pictures can make you hear sounds, but somehow dePaola has accomplished that in this book.
A children’s book that tells the whole story
I love how dePaola tells the complete story. There are times when I have looked into the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the details are heavy either about Our Lady or about Juan Diego. This book gives an overall good account for both Our Lady and Juan Diego as a whole story. As a convert, trying to learn as much as I can about Marian apparitions, this is truly helpful.
Another part of the story dePaola made sure to include is Juan Diego’s interactions with the bishop. Before reading this book, I had always imagined the bishop being mean and uncaring for some reason. However, in the book the bishop is described as just extremely busy rather than aloof. On one page of the book there is a picture of the bishop carefully writing down Juan’s account of what had happened. Ultimately the bishop gains faith as well, according to this story.
DePaola did an excellent job of subtly putting in pieces of the culture that would have been present during this time period. A section of the story talks about Juan using ancient remedies to try and cure his extremely ill uncle. This would have been something that Juan would have tried, coming from the Aztec culture, even though he had converted to Christianity. The next page of the book explains that Juan knew deep in his heart that these remedies would not help his uncle. I love that this was included because I think we all forget that Juan converted to Christianity and his faith in God, instead of ancient, useless remedies is what ultimately saved his uncle.
Read this with upper-elementary students
While most of dePaola’s work is used for lower-elementary school-aged kiddos, (Pancakes for Breakfast happens to be one I loved to teach), this book is probably a bit wordy for younger children. I love the attention to the story detail, but I would just use it in an upper-elementary classroom, even into middle school and high school. I actually plan on using it for a lesson for the teen group at my parish soon. I had one of my high school students look it over, and she loved the artwork. To me, that means even if all the students hear is my voice sounding like Charlie Brown’s teacher talking, they will still be engaged with the pictures of the story.
The story of Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe is captivating, inspiring, timeless, and beautiful. Saint Juan Diego, with the help of intercession from Our Lady of Guadalupe, helped an estimated nine million people convert to Christianity following her apparition. As a convert myself, it is amazing to realize the impact that we can have on the world for God, if only we remember to have faith and to do what He says.
Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego, pray for us!
Ask for The Lady of Guadalupe at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Ignatius Press.
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Copyright 2024 Karen Estep
Images: (Top) detail from cover
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About the Author

Karen Estep
Karen Estep is the host of the podcast Stand, Kneel, Now What? In coming home to the Catholic faith as an adult she hopes to share her love of the Church on a daily basis. Karen has been shown many graces through the Sacraments even through all of her blunders. She hopes to help other adults navigate their faith journey as well.
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