6 February 2013 MARTIN DE PORRES: THE ROSE IN THE DESERT by Gary D. Schmidt and David Diaz, ill., Clarion, June 2012, 32p., ISBN: 978-0-547-61218-8

“If you hear the song I sing

You must understand

You hold the key to love and fear

All in your trembling hand”

-- Chet Powers (aka Dino Valenti), “Get Together”

"Soon, all the people of the barrios knew who the young cirujano was. When a man was hurt, he was carried to Martín. When a child grew pale, she was brought to Martín. When a slave was whipped, he staggered to Martín. And when the infirmary of the monastery was filled with the poorest, Martín carried his patients to play with the panting dogs in the shade of the wonderful lemon tree.

"Soon the brothers in the monastery asked him to doctor them, too. He washed their sores. He spooned them soup. He healed their wounds. Some said he walked through locked doors to cool a fever with a drink.

"When the Spanish royals heard, they sent for Martín to care for them, too. And they learned to wait for him to tend the poorest among the barrios first."

There are always plenty of surprises when the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards are announced in January. But the biggest surprise for me this year was the announcement of the Pura Belpre Illustrator Award for a book I'd somehow not even heard about. This, despite the fact that it is written by one of my all-time favorite authors and illustrated by one of my all-time favorite illustrators.

What was not surprising, was to open the book (after borrowing it from the library yesterday), and drink in how beautiful it, in fact, is.

MARTIN DE PORRES: THE ROSE IN THE DESERT is the picture book story of the first black saint of the Americas. Born in the barrio in Lima, Peru, Martín was the son of a royal Spanish conqueror and a slave. A young impoverished child of color, at the age of eight Martín and his little sister were retrieved by their Spanish father and after some years Martín was apprenticed to a surgeon. The boy began to be known for his legendary talents. Later, he entered the monastery in a servant's role (being that he was black) but, in the face of his gifted -- seemingly-miraculous -- work, he was eventually permitted to take his vows as a monk.

As we learn from the author's note, when Martín was canonized in 1962, Pope John XXIII named him the patron saint of universal brotherhood. Now tell me: If you could be known forever, what would be a better gig than that?

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
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