WWRW: April Link Up and Saint Books for Kids

The Life of Saint Benedict by John McKenzie and Mark Brown is told in full page watercolor pictures. The text explains what is shown in each painting. Brother McKenzie did an excellent job making the story of St. Benedict's life accessible to children.

This book is lengthy, however. Not your typical "sit down let's read a story." I used it to supplement Edmund's history studies this month and it meshed nicely with the spread of monasticism/early middle ages unit we are currently working on.

I'm so glad I read this book with Edmund and was able to share my memories of visiting Subiaco and Montecassino, as well as the World War II Battle of Montecassino and subsequent re-building. I think it makes history more real if you can make it a little personal.

I was provided this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

The Queen & the Cross: The Story of Saint Helen and The Saint Who Fought the Dragon by Cornelia Mary Bilinsky fit the tiny niche of books that interest both my three year old and my twelve year old.

These faithful re-tellings of the lives of St. Helen and St. George are brief but accurate. Both are lovely additions to any collection of saints picture books.

We've had all of the Fr. Lovasik Book of Saints books for many years.

The illustrations are...shall we say...very stylized? The 12 part series is also lacking many of our more recently canonized saints.

I was delighted to find the Pauline Press Little Book of Saints in six volumes at a nearby shrine giftshop. Jill was thrilled that Book 1 has her patron saint, St. Bakhita as well as Sts. Faustina and Juan Diego.

Other newcomers include Blessed Damien of Molokai, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Blessed Miguel Pro, St. Katharine Drexel, St. Gianna Molla, St. Marguerite d'Youville, and St. Edith Stein, all represented in later volumes, as well as even more newer saints and blesseds that I'm unfamiliar with. Of course all of the "regulars" that you would expect are covered as well.

Would you prefer this St. Madeleine?

Or this one?

The illustrations are in the newer Pauline Press books are fresh, simple yet charming, colored drawings. None of the romantic steaminess of the vintage Lovasik series.

Amazon does not carry the six volumes of Little Book of Saints, but you can buy them online here.

You can link up your April book reviews Here!

An InLinkz Link-up