About This Book

One day, a cat wandered into the garden of a church-and changed the lives of everyone there. The children named him Leo the Magnificat, and Leo made the church his home. He joined in at choir practice, attended every covered-dish dinner (Leo loved to eat), and on Sundays, he took his favorite seat in the front pew. Years passed, and Leo grew old. And when the time came to say good-bye, the church found a special way to remember him.

Based on the life of a real church cat, this story, beautifully told by best-selling children's author Ann M. Martin, with illustrations luminous as stained glass by Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully, will touch the heart of anyone who has ever loved a pet.

About the Authors or Illustrators

Ann Matthews Martin

Martin grew up in Princeton New Jersey. She has been a teacher and an editor of children's books. Ma...

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Emily Arnold McCully

An artist, actress, historian, and author, Emily Arnold McCully has learned to work from inside. After an editor spotted her artwork, she began illustrating and later writing children's books.

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