As a Catholic priest, I use this book for Pre-Cana (before you get married)counseling. I think it's the best I've seen, and I've recommended it to my Bishop to be used in the curriculum of our seminary. Would that people read this before they got married ~ also good as an eye opener if you are married, and for no matter how long. As the Chairman of the Board of Examining Chaplains for my diocese (who oversees academic stuff before a man is considered for ordination), I'll tell you that this book will be required reading for any man before he becomes a priest with pastoral cares.
Bravo!!!

This is one unbelievably fantastic book. Wangerin is a wonderful storyteller. This book stands head and shoulders above other Christian books about marriage. The chapters on forgiveness are incredible. He is transparent and real as he shares from his own marriage. Use it to make your own marriage stronger. Give it to friends, those married and those contemplating marriage.

I've read many books on marriage. This one is at the top of my list.

Wangerin's book feels like the smell of fresh-baked bread: Yeasty, homey, delicious, incredibly satisfying, and sweet without being saccharine, and with honesty, compassion, and real story enough in it to tear open with your teeth like a fine, chewy crust.

In a world of relationship books with all the nutritional value of paper (too many of them Christian-oriented) Wangerin's book stands out like a plate of that fresh-baked bread and a slab of sweet yellow butter.

Mr. Wangerin's storytelling is so appealing and real. I wept, I laughed, I grieved, I healed. This could be the most important book you ever read.

In examining the issues surrounding grief and loss, Mr. Wangerin goes far beyond simply explaining the stages of grieving that one goes through. The most important concept I gained from this book is that of "relationships" we have at every level and, most importantly, with God.

I read this after having buried my mother who endured a long and grusome battle with cancer. How difficult it is to be a part of that process. Why is so much suffering allowed? This book brought understanding, illumination, revelation, joy, and the inexplicable healing catharsis of weeping with others and thereby understanding my own experience. All this is learned in the comforting context of the loving arms of God, who allows grief to draw us back to Himself.

This is a book which should be given to every person grieving a loss of any kind.

This book was a gift to me after my newborn daughter died. I found myself making notes and identifing with Mr. Wangerin's explaination of the 4 stages of grief. VERY heplful to anyone in any type of grief, and as always, a real blessing from an old friend.

this book is absolutely amazing. my dad died about two years ago.. im 17 by the way...and i am still grieving but this book has opened my eyes to the goodness of the process and how god will bring me back to life after this death that happened not only to my father but also to me. you have to read it..it truly is the most important book i have ever read in my life.

This is my third year to read "Reliving the Passion". It is pure poetry at its finest and Walter Wangerin Jr. transports you back to the days leading up to and through the Passion. Add this book to you library and make it a tradition each year at Lent. Also check out his book for Advent!

Dying to live. Won't you join the journey? Wangerin puts us into the journey to Golgotha and beyond.

Kurt Pearson

Wangerin's writing style is so refreshing - it brings the story of Christ to life in a new and exciting way. The emotive writing style draws you in as the reader and you cannot put the book away - I read and re-read the crucifixion chapters and came away almost breathless with a renewed sense of what Christ went through for me! The cast of characters that were involved also come to life with all the passion and "realness" of that day.

I read this book in a store once and it has stuck with me for years. Now that I have children I am looking forward to reading it to them

This book is a joy for any age child. The rhymes are fun and silly, and the drawings are wonderful. My 2 year old daughter loves it, and I love reading it to her. Walt Wangerin is a wordsmith of the finest level. I rate this highly for any child, and it is always on my gift list for first or second birthdays.

This will be last book read every night before the light is turned off. The rhyme explains in many ways how much the child is loved, first by the person reading the book and then by God. The closing imagery of the child's bed held in God's hand invites the child to close their eyes and dream sweet dreams, safe in God's care. My son loves it!

This book is a wonderful gift idea for a baptism. The story is nice and the illustrations are wonderful!

This book is fabulous. The writing is a pleasure to read and the illustrations say so much more. The two put together is wonderful. I recommend it as a gift when ever you have the chance.

Walt Wangerin, professor, teacher, writer, pastor, and most of all, child of God, has given us a precious gift: an illuminating storybook about God's gift of baptism. This book fills a void in the world of children's literature, drawing children into their rightful place in the household of faith, The Church. The text is written in rhyming couplets, a style that children love; after hearing it a few times, they can supply the rhymes that follow each line (as they do with Dr. Seuss books). The story is told from the perspective of creation itself, rejoicing at the baptism of the child, and his/her place in the world. This is done gracefully and lovingly. The illustrations are glorious! The artist, Gerardo Suzan, has a simple, delightful style that children can interpret easily; yet included within the simple paintings are classic symbols of creation and Christian iconography. The illustrations and the text are a perfect marriage. The back of the storybook includes scriptural and theological clarification of the story and paintings. This is helpful for parents with their own questions about baptism; I believe that quality children's books offer something for the adults as well as for the children. This is a "lap" book, something to be enjoyed and shared for families. Baptism is the perfect occasion to give this book;on the baptismal day, have the family, the sponsors, the pastors, and the whole congregation sign the book as a remembrance.

Impressively illustrated by Tim Ladwig, Angels & All Children: A Nativity Story In Words, Music, And Art is a beautiful full color picturebook about the birth of Jesus Christ. Angels bring the joyous news of the Holy Spirit's blessing to Mary, soon to be the Mother of Christ, and love and celebration abound in this gentle, wondrous, gorgeously presented book. Written by Walter Wangerin, the text is of an intermediate reading level, and an accompanying dramatic audio CD features happy songs by Randy Courts in a deeply spiritual story about the true meaning of Christmas. Angels & All Children would make a prized addition to any family, Sunday School, or parochial school children's book collection.

This book weaves a wonderful web of a Lakota oral tradition along side a capivating hero. It was so absorbing that I felt as if I faced the characters obstacles along side him.

"No Sky" not only manages to show how the universe was created by the greatest passion of God, but by the end of this book, your child is the center of that universe, and never was anyone loved more. The best creation story I've ever read. Read it to your child using your child's name in place of the generic "child," as I saw Walter Wangerin do in the telling of this story on a videotape (he told this story in response to some children taunting his daughter). Then read the story and insert your own name instead of the child's. This is an incredibly powerful book. You may find yourself in tears.

I can't stop buying copies of this book for my friends. This is quite simply the most beautiful and touching book on parents and children that I have ever read. As my parents age and my children grow up I find myself re-reading this book over and over and getting more out of it each time. It fully captures the joy and the pain and ultimately - the unending grace that God provides to parents. This book is INCREDIBLE!

Wangerin's Ragman is one of the most inspiring books I have read in a long time. The imagery can pull you into everyday life or to far away scenes. Ragman can stir your heart.

RAGMAN AND OTHER CRIES OF FAITH is a deeply moving collection of works concerning the Christian faith, written by Walt Wangerin, Jr. about some of his experiences as a pastor in the inner city. The title work, "Ragman" is a story that is often used as a skit/readers theatre throughout the country and is basically an updated tale about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The book includes poems, plays, sermons, and many great stories because as Wangerin writes, stories are what make a pastor. The tales are all personal and most are moving. They examine a deep and living faith that sees the work of God everywhere: from a naked, homebound parishoner who smells like urine to the painful death of a young woman to a crazy woman shooting a gun at no one in the middle of the street. This is a great book for any pastor, for anyone who has done urban missions, or for anyone looking for a book that illustrates the very real ways God is working in our world today. Highly recommended.

The Easter story as related by the man who follows the Ragman is moving and makes an age old story new. Older elementary school children, middle schoolers and adults listened. We all heard the story.Although it seemd familiar, it held our attention. It was an eyewitness thought provoking news account of a very special Ragman.