Welcome to Stepping Stones!Denver, Chantal, Suki, and Alberto are on a journey—and you can join them! With these fun and inspiring comics, you’ll share the ups and downs, problems and joys, successes and failures of a great group of friends. The stepping stones of their lives are leading them on a path toward God.

Won’t you follow along? After all, you’re on that journey too!

Stepping Stones: The C

omic C

ollection

Jenkins/Sabatino

PAU

LINE B

ooks & M

edia

About the Author…After more than twenty years as a special education teacher, Diana R. Jenkins became a freelance writer. She has written more than four hundred stories, comic strips, and articles for children and teens as well as three books of children’s plays. Her most recent book is Spotlight on Saints! A Year of Funny Readers Theater for Today’s Catholic Kids. Diana lives in Montgomery, Ohio, with her husband, a medical physicist.

About the Artist...Chris Sabatino grew up dreaming of illustrating comic books, and with Stepping Stones, his dream has come true! He illustrates children’s books, magazines, and greeting cards as well. Chris enjoys drawing all day in Canton, Massachusetts. He also enjoys his wife, Stephanie, his kids, Nicole and Joey, and his big cat named Zip!

$9.95 U.S.

SteppingStones-cov.indd 1 12/11/08 5:00:53 PM

Boston

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jenkins, Diana R.Stepping stones : the comic collection / written by Diana R. Jenkins ; art by Chris

Sabatino.p. cm.

“Originally appeared in serial form in My friend: the Catholic magazine for kids from January 2002 through June 2007”--T.p. verso.

ISBN 0-8198-7118-4 (pbk.)1. Comic books, strips, etc. I. Sabatino, Chris. II. Title. PN6728.S745J46 2009741.5’973--dc22

2008025232

“Stepping Stones” originally appeared in serial form in My Friend: The Catholic Magazine for Kids from January 2002 through June 2007.

Illustrations on pages 5, 116–125 by Mary Joseph Peterson, FSP.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

“P” and PAULINE are registered trademarks of the Daughters of St. Paul.

Copyright © 2009, Daughters of St. Paul

Published by Pauline Books & Media, 50 Saint Pauls Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3491

Printed in Korea

www.pauline.org

Pauline Books & Media is the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation of women religious serving the Church with the communications media.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 13 12 11 10 09

ContentsFrom the Author 5The First Collection 6The Second Collection 18The Third Collection 38

The Fourth Collection 56The Fifth Collection 76The Sixth Collection 96

And Now a Word from…Alberto 116Chantal 118Denver 120Suki 122

From the Office of Principal Webster 124

From the Author

5

Welcome to S

tepping Ston

es! Or if

you’re a for

mer reader o

f My Friend:

The Catholic

Magazine fo

r Kids, mayb

e

I should say

, “Welcome b

ack!” Have f

un

revisiting y

our old frie

nds: Denver,

Chantal, Suk

i, Alberto,

and all the

others!

If you’re ne

w to the com

ic, I think

you’ll enjoy

meeting the

Stepping St

ones

kids and sha

ring their l

ives. You’ll

be

there for th

eir ups and

downs, probl

ems

and joys, su

ccesses and

failures. It

’s

all part of

their journe

y toward a c

loser

relationship

with God.

Actually, th

e comic gets

its name fr

om

the idea of

that journey

. Everything

that

happens to

the characte

rs, everyone

they meet, e

ach problem

they solve—

they’r

e all steppi

ng stones on

a

path.

And that pat

h leads to

knowin

g God, lovin

g him, and

gettin

g close to h

im.

You’re on

the same jou

rney, you

know. I ho

pe this book

will be a

stepping sto

ne for you a

long your wa

y.

God bless yo

u!

Diana R. Jen

kins

6

The First Collection

7

8

9

10

After school the next day...

11

12

13

14

15

16

At school the next day...

17