New Children's Books
A review of Classic Bible Comics and All You Holy Women, Pray for Us
+JMJ+ It finally feels like Spring here in New England. Alleluia! Here in the Hakesley household, we recently wrapped up our homeschooling year (again, Alleluia!). This school year has been so challenging for a number of reasons, and I am very grateful to have some time to just breathe and relax a little bit more. My goal for the next couple of months is to work on letting go more and worrying less. Trusting in God seems easy when life is going smoothly. The real test of faith comes when things get bumpy. Do we still trust in Him then or do we try to rely on ourselves? I definitely fall into the latter category a lot. What can I say? I'm a work in progress!
If you had told me ten years ago that one day we would be in year seven of homeschooling, I probably would have laughed. Yet, God is so good and, despite my lack of trust at times, He has given us the grace to keep going. Believe me, I would not have been able to stick with it if it weren't for that grace!
One of our many blessings is that our children are developing a love of reading. Matthew, our 10-year-old son, reads through books so quickly that we have a difficult time trying to keep up with finding good, wholesome things for him to read. He had just finished reading through The Green Ember series (for the umpteenth time) a few weeks ago when Classic Bible Comics, a recent release from Sophia Press, arrived in the mail and he could not have been more delighted.
Matthew liked this book so much that he read it again as soon as he had finished it the first time. Classic Bible Comics is fantastic reading and, while we aren't typically “into” comic books in our family per se, he very much enjoyed this book. Classic Bible Comics (adapted by Stanley Silverstein) tells some of the most exciting and well-known stories from the Old and New Testaments including the Creation story, Joseph and the coat of many colors, Moses, some of the parables told by Jesus, and the Crucifixion. Putting these stories into comic book style allows for a unique perspective and engages readers in a whole new way. Matthew really enjoyed the colorful, action-packed illustrations as well.
Classic Bible Comics would make a perfect gift for a child who you want to introduce to the Bible. Not only do the Biblical messages come across in a powerful way, but young minds will be entertained at the same time. Sometimes putting things into a child's perspective is just what is needed.
While our little book worm was busy with the comic book, our daughters were busy with another one. All You Holy Women, Pray for Us by Adam and Angela Smyth is a delightful board book geared towards young girls. Through sweet illustrations and prose, readers will learn about some of the great female saints of the Church. St. Faustina, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. Josephine Bakhita are just a few of the saints included in this sturdy book that is perfect for little hands. The illustrations are adorable and remind me of Precious Moments figurines. Our toddler especially adores this board book and frequently asks her big sister to read it to her. What a gift these female saints are to the Church and to our world! The lives are such wonderful examples of holiness and true femininity especially in today's world where such example is poorly lacking.
How awesome is it that parents have help from books such as these to spread the messages of our faith to our little ones? I am so grateful to the authors and publishers who make a special point of reaching out to children. Children are the future and will be the ones to carry on the faith to future generations. Having supplemental resources that are both educational and fun is a real lifesaver and such a blessing! Classic Bible Comics and All You Holy Women, Pray for Us are just two of the many books available to help children grow in their faith and, at the same time, help remind parents that our goal is to help our children become saints.
Grab copies of these books today and make them a part of your child's summer reading!
Classic Bible Comics is available HERE
All You Holy Women, Pray for Us is available HERE
(non-commissioned links)
Disclaimer: this post is in no way sponsored by Sophia Press. I received copies of these books in exchange for my honest feedback and am sharing my thoughts in this blog post.