Merry as a Cricket

Merry as a Cricket reveals a world shaped by Catholic faith, thought and practice. Here, being Catholic is part of children's everyday lives. A companion volume to A Peek Into My Church, Merry as a Cricket presents two stories from St. Anne's Parish, where readers will meet new characters and rediscover their already familiar friends, Liddy and Mark Bennett, and their orange marmalade cat, Mickey (who still isn't allowed to go to Mass with the family).

In Merry as a Cricket, the children of St. Anne's Parish come to understand why Mr. Demski, the parish grouch, is so grouchy; he is still mourning the death of his beloved wife, Ana. At the church carnival, loving friends and a mysterious clown help Mr. Demski rediscover joy and laughter.

Every kid loves A Pocketful of Chocolate, especially this pocketful! In this story, the Bennett children celebrate St. Francis' feast day with their pets, family and friends at St. Anne's annual Blessing of the Animals. Before the celebration, Liddy and Mark befriend the new kid in the neighborhood, a lonely boy named Steven. When Steven joins the Bennett children at the Blessing, he finds an unexpected new friend.

Merry as a Cricket is the second volume in WhipperSnapper Books' ongoing children's series, Stories from St. Anne's Parish.