I am always trying to find good Catholic children’s books for my kids, but it’s trickier since our local Catholic bookstore recently closed. I was so excited when Catholic Family Gifts contacted me about doing a book review and giveaway!
Catholic Family Gifts is the online extension of a family-owned Catholic store located in Illinois and they generously sent me two books to review (one which I am giving away to a lucky reader): Picture Book of Saints and St. Anthony and the Christ Child.
The Picture Book of Saints by Fr. Lovasik includes a color illustration, a short one-page saint’s life story, and a prayer for 114 saints. The little biographies (or hagiographies, I suppose) are short enough to keep a small child’s attention and I learned things about the lives of the saints that I didn’t know, either! There’s a table of contents set up alphabetically according to saint’s names which makes the book easily navigable; however, I do wish that it had an additional index according to feast days or that the pages were ordered according to the Christian year. I enjoyed reading about St. Thomas More to Benjamin last week on his feast day. After Benjamin perused the book, saw that St. Ignatius has lions in his illustration, and heard about his martyrdom, he decided that St. Ignatius is his new favorite saint. But, he told me, with all his three-year-old intensity, “I’m not sure I’m ready to die for Jesus like St. Ignatius!” This would be a great book to have in your child’s Mass bag.
And although Benjamin can’t sit still for chapter books quite yet, I can’t wait till he’s ready for St. Anthony and the Christ Child, our giveaway prize for a lucky reader! One of many books on saint’s lives in the Vision series (published by the wonderful Ignatius Press), this easy chapter book by Helen Walker Homan is an engaging, well-written, and researched introduction to the life of St. Anthony of Padua. The Vision series has been recommended to me, but until now, I’ve never had a chance to check it out. I would definitely recommend the Vision series for any child that’s ready to read chapter books!
To be entered to win a copy of St. Anthony and the Christ Child, comment on this post telling me which saint’s life in the Vision series you’re most interested in reading with your child (head over to Catholic Family Gift’s Children’s Book page to check them out).
For additional entries:
Subscribe to Carrots for Michaelmas via RSS or email subscription (and leave an additional comment letting me know)
Follow Carrots for Michaelmas on FB (and leave an additional comment letting me know)
This giveaway will be open until Sunday night (07/08/12) at 10pm EST. I will pick a winner by random number generator. Best of luck and Happy 4th! (And a big thank you to Catholic Family Gifts for sponsoring this great giveaway!)
Thanks for the giveaway! I am so happy to have found your blog, we are in S. Florida and I was remembering last week our own trip to see Our Lady of La Leche. I send those prayers to all the expectant (or hoping) moms I know, and pray them myself often!
We really enjoy this series of books, and just finished St. Ignatius! I’d love to win the story of St. Anthony, since we are often invoking his name around here whenever we need help finding something!
I’m subscribed to CFM by email!
I liked CFM on FB! Thanks again for the giveaway!
I’d love a chance to add to our tiny (for now) collection. I’d also love to read St. Benedict: Hero of the Hills eventually!
I subscribed 🙂
We love the Vision books! Thanks for the chance! We just picked up the one about St. Isaac Joques when we were at The Shrine of the NA Martyrs last week, so that’s next on our list.
Happy 4th,
Ryane
ryanemurnane at verizon.net
I “liked” CFM on FB 🙂
Yes please!
liked on FB
and following via my google reader
Haley, don’t enter me in the contest (we already have those great books) but I just had to say this: I just want to give your little Benjamin a hug. 🙂 What a sweetie.
Also, for daily saint readings for kids, have you ever seen the Saints for Young Readers for Every Day? There are two volumes:
http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Young-Readers-Every-Vol/dp/0819870811
and
http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Young-Readers-Every-Vol/dp/081987082X/ref=pd_sim_b_2
Will spread the word about your contest!
I just had one more comment 🙂 I’ve also been looking for daily saint books and another I ran across was Lives of the Saints I & II.
http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Saints-Hugo-Hoever/dp/0899428703/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341506079&sr=1-2&keywords=lives+of+the+saints
We follow the traditional calendar at our parish, but it is nearly impossible to find books that do unless I’m willing to shell out for an earlier edition. No thanks. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the great giveaway! My son’s name is Dominic so we’d like St. Dominic and the Rosary, although I’m sure we’d enjoy St. Anthony as well.
I am subscribed by RSS! Would love to win the St. Anthony of Padua book as that is the patron of our parish (way out here in AZ!)… 🙂
I’d love to read more about St. Patrick. He is one of my daughter’s patron saint.
I like you on FB.
I’d love to read more about Saint Catherine Laboure
We would love to read St. Benedict together! Thanks for the contest. (happy to already be a subscriber)
My girls love St. Therese, so they’d probably be most interested in reading the book about her from the Vision series.
I follow you on FB.
I’m subscribed to the email feed.
Love the Picture Book of Saints! Visual (and auditory) learning for all ages… will be checking this one out. (And finding you on fb!) Thanks!