Books in bears' stomachs do monks no good

I first came across Brother Hugo and the Bear when I was looking for a different picture book about medieval manuscript production.  That book, Smudge and the Book of Mistakes, is worth its own read, but I ended up liking Brother Hugo even better.  BHatB is written by Katy Beebe and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers in 2014.  I like Eerdmans Books since they often publish children's books pertaining to religion, though not necessarily directed to an exclusively religious audience. 

Brother Hugo tells the story of its eponymous monk at the great Cluny monastery in France.  After a bear eats his copy of the letters of St. Augustine, he must replace it by borrowing a copy from the Carthusian Grand Charterhouse and re-copying it.  Along the way, he must continue to outwit the bear, who has developed a taste for literature, and along the way we learn about all the steps involved in creating an illuminated manuscript.  The premise is an amusing twist on "my dog ate my homework," and the illustrations are, appropriately, in the style of a medieval book:

Now I must admit that I have saved the best part for last.  For if you make it to the historical background section in the back of the book, you will learn that this tale is....based on a true story!  Apparently there is an extent letter from Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny, asking his fellow Catrthusian abbot to borrow a book, since a bear unfortunately ate his copy.  We are only left to wonder the details of what must have been an interesting event.  But on a more serious note, it is an important reminder of how precious and rare books were back then.  We still owe these monks our gratitude for preserving ancient writings, even, when necessary, by fending off wild beasts.

Ages: 5-9

Rating: A