A Review of Three Great Children's Books (and a Mom Note About Keeping Good Books in the House)

We recently received three books for review, and we loved them all!  I can only write honestly and my reviews are items I would actually recommend.  The following books would be great gifts for children receiving sacraments: Baptism, Confession, First Communion and Confirmation.  Or just to have around the house, see my note at the bottom.

1)

How the Angels Got Their Wings by Anthony DeStefano is a GORGEOUS book, just like the rest of his collection.  The illustrations are always above and beyond, and his story rhymes which is a crowd pleaser for Brendan, Declan and I.  It's a quick read that is perfect for bedtime, and led to some great discussions about angels and our interactions with them.  Everybody has a guardian angel, which is pretty mind-blowing and something I think about often as I tend to feel scared easily.  I'm never alone with my buddy by my side, an angel created just for me, and neither are you!  We also talked about how people who die are not angels, but they can become saints if they get to Heaven.  Angels are completely different beings, created by God for other purposes than humans.  This book is a keeper for sure and it's out for release today!

Even Lucy Doodle was listening!  (amazon link)

2)

For graphic novel lovers (we have a few in our house!) Therese of Lisieux by Coline Dupuy, Davide Perconti, and Francesco Rizzato is a winner.  The illustrations are colorful and the story of St. Therese and her "little way" is endearing and encouraging.  We don't need to do big, elaborate actions to be loved by God, we just need to be.  We can show love to others in small ways, and that shows we love God as well.  Her secret to holiness is to love, and "to love is to give everything and to give yourself".  This book is a great addition to encourage visual readers who prefer not to sit down with a boring book with words - ha!

 (amazon link)

3)

Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Amazing Discovery of a Teenager in Heaven by Sabrina Ferrisi talks about the life of Carlo Acutis who is on his way to becoming a saint.  Carlo was a kid growing up in Italy (who looks a lot like my husband when he was younger) trying to live a holy life but also a normal life.  He loved video games and sports and Jesus and was very disciplined and balanced.  He created a website to share stories of Eucharistic miracles and sadly died in 2006 at age 15.  This book talks about the journey of his life, interviews with his mom, and the miracles that happened after his death that led to his beatification.  It's an easy book to read, and was passed around by my pre-teens and teenagers who love having a modern *almost* saint to look up to.

Use code: Carlo15 for 15%

Just a mom note when it comes to books.  Having good books sitting around our house about our faith and the saints has been such a blessing to our family.  Kids are sponges and we want to fill them with true stories about the beauty of Heaven, with solid examples to look up to in the saints, and remind them that is the goal of our life.  Heaven wasn't only a goal for the saints, or people from the old days...it's The Goal for All of Us Right Now.  Sometimes handing a child a book to read isn't met with the most enthusiastic reaction, but leaving books around the coffee table will always be read when the inevitable boredom hits, like in the summer.  This leads to organic discussions of our faith that otherwise may be more difficult to bring up.  My little guy just told me the other day in the car that his guardian angel was sitting right next to him, even though he couldn't see him.  The faith of children is beautiful and we need to protect and encourage it before their innocence is lost.  Fill their minds with truth and beauty :)