Two saint books for Easter baskets

These beautiful, heirloom-quality books are the ones I chose for my son and daughter's Easter baskets this year.

As my two-year-old daughter was settling herself in bed last night, before she fell asleep, she talked to herself about her day.

Of course, I listened attentively at the monitor, the sound all the way up.

She sang herself a goodnight song from Daniel Tiger, she made several adorable attempts at saying '“bippity boppity boo” from “Cinderella,” which she saw parts of for the first time yesterday. She recounted the story of “Sugar Snow” from the Little House Treasury (which I plan to review in a future newsletter), and she talked about playing trains with her brother.

This incredibly sweet recount of the day reminded me of the important role we have as parents in cultivating our children’s childhood. At two years old, everything they know about the world is what we expose them to and how we discuss and value those experiences. That’s why I want the books in our home library to reflect what our family values and provide examples of strong role models. One day, when I can no longer control what my children are exposed to, I hope I can rest easier knowing that I have given them a solid foundation for building their character.

Here are the two books that I am putting in my children’s Easter baskets this year:

“Princesses of Heaven: The Flowers” written and illustrated by Fabiola Garza

This book is beautiful: the padded cover, the illustrations by a Disney artist, the lyrical text that reminds each little girl in the world that she is a princess. I love every book I recommend in this newsletter, but I truly adore this one and can’t wait to read it with my two-year-old daughter. (I hope Word on Fire publishes a similar book for young boys, too.) I felt inspired after reading this as a thirty-something-year-old woman!

The book provides beautiful introductions to St. Joan of Arc, St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Narcisa de Jesus, St. Lucy Yi Zhenmei, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux and reveals how they used their talents, temperaments and circumstances to honor God and change the world.

“Light of the Saints” written by Corey Heimann and illustrated by Tricia Dugat

Shine-a-light books are fascinating for young children, and my four-year-old son thinks they are the coolest thing. (If your children like shine-a-light books and construction, check out “On the Construction Site” mentioned in this newsletter.)

This beautiful hardcover book introduces children to some of the most famous saints and the way the Holy Spirit worked in their lives to change the world. Note that each saint only gets a few lines, so you might have to familiarize/refresh yourself with their stories before reading with your children so you can fill in the blanks and answer their questions.

I love the text on the last page:

“So never be fearful. Don’t cower or hide. For Jesus, your own little light, lives inside.

He’ll never go out and His love never ends. You carry His light, like your many Saint friends

Who found Him inside, even when it was night.

He’s calling you, too, to be one little light.”

If there is a book about the saints that you love, please share in the comments! These are the first of hopefully many in our children’s home library.

“Try your best to make goodness attractive. That’s one of the toughest assignments you’ll ever be given.” —Fred Rogers