It will come as no surprise that I’m an avid reader and that I encourage my children to have a large appetite for reading too.
Along the way we have discovered some absolute gems of Catholic books that I believe every Catholic family should have.
Children’s Bible
I can’t recommend one in particular here, we have a multitude of them, but any Catholic Bible that presents the stories of the Bible in an accessible way for children is a must. Growing up my own Bible sat on a shelf, too precious to touch, and I was determined for my children to pick up their own Bibles as books to be read over and over again.
Lives of the Saints
There are stacks of these on the market although we tend to collect the series by Father Lovasik, SVD, which are published by St Joseph’s Kids Books. Often you can get beautifully illustrated treasuries of some of the more popular saints as well.
The Weight of a Mass
By Josephine Nobisso, illustrated by Katalin Szegedi. Published by Gingerbread House
This is a beautifully illustrated fable, adapted from a real story, about the weight (literally) of a Mass. It is well written and so powerful, yet so simple. It would make a fantastic gift for a child making their First Holy Communion, or one who gets ‘bored’ at Mass.
Ray likes to pray
By Father Fox. Published by Catholic Children’s Books
This is a fun, Catholic take on Doctor Suess books and it works well. The illustrations are not amazing and some of the rhymes are a little forced but the kids don’t seem to mind at all and the rhythm is pretty well on song.
A boy who became pope
By Fabiola Garza. Published by Pauline Kids
I bought this book about six months ago and it has quickly become a firm favourite in my house. The book is superbly written, exquisitely illustrated and is a beautifully moving account of the life of Saint Pope John Paul II. One of the most beautiful questions the book poses for all is: “who do you love most?” I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!
So that’s my list. Would you add any others?
Originally posted 2015-10-20 03:12:10.
Thanks for this list! Where do you purchase your books from?
I have to admit that a lot of these I purchased from local Catholic bookstores which have now closed! Now I tend to order online where possible 🙂