I grew up Protestant and did not learn about saints. We now go to an Episcopal church which is still Protestant but recognizes the saints. Plus Steve is Catholic so he wants Hazel to know about the saints. With All Saints Day coming up I thought it was the perfect time to share today's book, Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace and illustrated by Nick Thornborrow.
In this book, Wallace introduces the reader to 70 saints. She puts them in chronological order so the reader can see the changes of the world over the time. It also shares famous saints, beloved saints and I will admit many I have never heard of. They range from ancient times to modern times and from all over the world though there is definitely a focus in Europe.
Each saint's story is told with at least one illustration over several pages of the book. The saint's years of life, location, feast day and what he or she is patron saint of are shared on the first page before the story. The stories are written in a wonderful way to read and for kids to understand them. I love how they read and how they keep you interested in learning more. This book is a perfect introduction to the saints and will be well loved by kids.
What a wonderful way to celebrate All Saints Day--read a few stories that day or read one story at bedtime each night until you finish the book. Bring the saints to your kids and help them learn about these amazing people who were brave and full of grace. Help inspire them in a time that has been so difficult for us all. The history that is also taught in the book is an added bonus. The saints range from Polycarp (69-156) to Theresa of Calcutta (1910-1997). The last part of the book talks about the Roman Empire and some of the places mentioned in the stories and finally a map to give the readers an idea of the geography and could certainly be a geography lesson as you read the book.
I hope you will check out this book. Be sure to check out our other posts about the holidays of the week including Day of the Dead and of course Halloween.
