Monday, November 15, 2021

Favorite Books for Catholic Kids- Growing List!


I'm not doing a great job of keeping up with my Katie Reads posts- but it probably is because I've been reading way more than I have time to blog! ;) This year I'm up to 60 books on my personal read list, in addition to who-knows-how-many children's books. Instead of trying to catch up, I thought I'd update my growing list of Catholic kids' books and re-share them with you here.

A few notes:
-Some of these books I've inherited, a lot I have purchased, and some were sent to me by the author/publisher, but all of them are books I have used/gifted/recommended in my classroom or as a DRE. I'm only sharing with you what I like and use.
-This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. That means that if you click through and purchase something, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. I'd also love to encourage you to shop directly with the publisher or with your local bookshop!
-By recommending these books, I am not saying they are perfect.  Their quality is somewhat dependent on the age and interests of the kids reading them as well as the support and background knowledge they have.  As always, you should preview and make the decision as to what is best for your kids or classroom (possibly thinking about some of the qualities I talk about in this post).
-Obviously there are tons of books that you could find Catholic themes within (virtue, symbolism, etc.) but these are books with explicit Catholic content and I've sorted them into a "genres" below.
-These lists are roughly organized from youngest interest level to oldest.  They are also far from complete and I invite you to chime in with your favorites in the comments.  Feel free to book mark this post as I will come back and continue to add to it!
-As this list grows, it can be hard to find things! I use this list and the keyboard shortcut CTRL + F (or Command + F on a Mac) to search on the page all the time! You can do the same with a key word to help you find a certain topic or Saint.


Scripture
Through the Year with Jesus- Bogner, Katherine
The Word of the Lord- Warner, Katie
The Gospel for Little Ones- Roche, Maite
Jesus, Savior of the World, Marlyn Evangelina Monge
What Did God Make? Henning, Heather
Colors of Creation, by Paul Thigpen
God's Wildest Wonderment of All, Thigpen, Paul
Noah and the Ark, Tomie de Paola
Seek and Find: The Life of Jesus- Geert de Sutter
Loyola Kids Book of Bible Stories- Amy Welborn

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Tomie de Paola
Compendium of Marian Devotions- Fr. Ed Broom
Soldier of God. St. Maximilian Kolbe- Treece, Patricia (and other comic books on Fulton Sheen, Emil Kapaun, Solanus Casey, etc. but I can't find them at a reasonable price online.  You can always contact the Foundations for the Causes for Canonization to order them more affordably)


Picture Book of Saints- Lovasik, Fr. (and others in series)


Prayer
O Come, Emmanuel, Kendra Tierney
Advent and Christmas One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens, Katie Prejean McGrady & Tommy McGrady
 

Lent/Easter

Stations of the Cross Books For Kids- Post with twelve options and lots of detail!
Walking with Jesus to Calvary: Stations of the Cross for Children- Burrin, Angela
The Stations of the Cross for Children Written by Jerry Windley-Daoust and illustrated by Vicki Shuck
15-Minute Stations of the Cross For Kids Written by Jared Dees and illustrated by Ezekiel Saucedo
The Way of the Cross Written by Juliette Levivier and illustrated by Anne Gravier
Stations of the Cross For Kids by Regina Doman, illustrated by Chris Lewis


Sacraments
All:

Baptism:
Chosen! Jenna Guizar
The Sacraments in Action (Includes Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation)

Confirmation:
The Sacraments in Action (Includes Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation)

Eucharist:
The Sacraments in Action (Includes Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation)

Reconciliation:

Anointing of the Sick:

Holy Orders:

Matrimony:



Church Teachings/Q&A
Kiddie Cat- Warner, Katie


Stories/Novels/Activity Books
Before Austen Comes Aesop: The Children's Great Books and How to Experience Them- Blomquist, Cheri (great guide for discerning reading the great books with your children)
The Phantom of the Colosseum, Sophie de Mullenheim
Secrets: The Truth Will Out, Verity Lucia (Book #2)

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8 comments:

  1. Trisha MollerNovember 17, 2021 at 5:59 AM

    Thank you so much Katie!!! Great Christmas gift ideas!
    My question: Do you have a recommendation for a good Bible for teen for Confirmation gift? Thank you again!

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    Replies
    1. KatieNovember 17, 2021 at 7:21 AM

      Hi Trisha! I'd definitely recommend a good gift Bible in the NABRE or RSVCE translations! For a girl, the Blessed is She Journaling Bible would be my top pick. For either boy or girl, the Ave Maria Journaling Bible or the Great Adventure Bible look awesome too!

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  2. AppleavaNovember 17, 2021 at 1:32 PM

    This post filled me with glee. : D Thank you for all the suggestions!

    Additional recommendations for the scripture genre:
    Old Testament Rhymes - Benson
    Catholic Nursery Rhymes - St. Augustine Academy Press
    Noah's Ark - Peter Spier (amazon)

    Additional recommendations for saint collection genre:
    Heroes of God's Church - Mortimer (St. Augustine Academy Press)
    So Many Ways to Be Holy - Holy Heroes

    Donkey's Dream - Bergner & There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve - Munoz Ryan for Advent/Christmas.

    The Virgin Mary Around the World (a board book by shining light dolls I think?) my kids liked too even though we don't collect peg dolls.

    Also recommend the book about St. John Vianney by Mullenheim. I see other books by her on your list that I didn't know existed. Thanks!

    Oh! One last board book recommendation: The Saving Name of God the Son by Bethlehem Books and God the Father's Loving Plan board book by them too.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousNovember 21, 2021 at 7:05 PM

      The Donkey's Dream by Berger, Barbara Helen (no n in the last name)

      Thank you for the wonderful suggestions.

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  3. AppleavaNovember 17, 2021 at 1:37 PM

    Another story category suggestion: A Gift of Myself - Douglas (Scepter Publishers)
    Also, for CHristimas: The Third Gift - Park

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  4. UnknownNovember 23, 2021 at 7:10 PM

    Hi Katie, I love your list and come back to it often. Do you have a suggestion for a book for a Confirmandi 8th grader about how faith and science are not incompatible? Thanks so much!

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    Replies
    1. KatieJanuary 24, 2022 at 7:45 AM

      I'm sorry I missed this comment! Just in case someone had the same question, Brilliant by David and Jaclyn Warren might be helpful. I also think that the websites CredibleCatholic.com and ReasonFaithScience.com are great and navigable for an 8th grader!

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