If you are looking for a simple, beautiful introduction to popular female saints, check out Kimberly Fries’ Girl Saints for Little Ones
Each volume features a dozen saints, mostly well-known heroines of our faith like Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Kateri, Saint Agnes, and Saint Gianna. These books do not include dates or feast days, instead focusing on details about the saints’ lives that little ones are more likely to grasp and retain, such as family relationships, feeding the poor, and miracles. This makes these books great for a cursory introduction, but if you are looking for more in-depth information about the saints, consider the Life of a Saint
Each saint page concludes with an inspiring quote from each saint about following Jesus and living a strongly Christian life. For example, the quote from St. Claire of Assisi is: “Totally love Him, who gave Himself totally for your love.”
What makes these books shine are the beautiful original paintings for each saint which will capture the attention of young children. Each painting contains a special symbol the child can associate with the saint. Some symbols are the traditional ones, such as the lamb of Saint Agnes. Others are original, such as green seeds to show the seeds of faith Saint Kateri sowed in the New World.
There is also a brother book, Boy Saints for Little Ones
Overall, these books make a worthwhile addition to any Catholic family’s library. For more great Catholic books about the saints, the Blessed Mother, and more, check out my list Good Catholic Books for Catholic Preschoolers and Kindergartners !
tales. My children love this collection of ten of Harris’ funniest tales, complete with plenty of onomatopoeia and wonderful illustrations on every page.
, and 
. His detail-rich illustration style brings a wealth of amusing tidbits to these already entertaining tales.
to her older brother. When we finished the chapter, she went to the bookshelf and out of the confusion of several hundred picture books she carefully selected 
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, and 
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1. Shirley Hughes is one of my absolute favorite children’s authors/illustrators. Not only are her distinctive illustrations carefully executed, they contain so many small details that little children delight in studying them. Her stories are always simple and engaging on the surface, but underneath they invariably present an age appropriate lesson. For example, 
encourages children who are moving that there will be good aspects of their new homes. In 
, Alfie exemplifies that even a small child can offer comfort and help to an older child. And 
is what I consider Hughes’ masterpiece: a tear-jerking tale of sibling love and sacrifice. Hughes also wrote one of my favorite book of children’s poetry:
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, a lovely story about a pony who realizes that being gentle and kind is more important than being physically beautiful. We also enjoy 
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and 
. We love all her stories about Old Bear, Jolly Tall, Little Bear, Rabbit, and Bramwell!
, star Percy the Park Keeper, a sweet-natured gardener who makes friends with all the animals in the park. The largest collection of Percy’s adventures, 
, is out of print but can often be found in used condition quite cheaply.
is one of our favorite first books about feelings. Grumpy kangaroo feels a range of emotions from anger to fear to sadness to happiness throughout his day. This book is simple enough to help a one or two year old to name the emotions.
is not specifically about emotions, but it is easy to pick up the wide range of emotions the mouse feels throughout the story and point out his expressions.
is a powerful lesson for parents and children about the importance of just being there and listening to someone when they’re sad. Toddler Taylor experiences loss, and many animals think they know how to help with words, distractions, and solutions. But in the end, the rabbit is the animal helps the most because he is willing to simply listen to Taylor.
is the perfect book for the young child who struggles with terrible temper tantrums. Jilly has to learn to allow her parents to help her manage her strong emotions. I love how Jilly’s parents exhibit patience and calm throughout the story!
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, and 
are part of a series of books written specifically to help young children identify the emotions they feel and deal with these emotions in healthy ways. These books contain a section at the back with teaching tips, questions to discuss with your child, and further ideas for handling emotions.
takes a Catholic look at a mild fear of the dark by addressing whether God is still watching over children in the dark. We love this series by Neal Lozano!
is not overtly about emotions, but it does offer a good lesson about different situations where different feelings are appropriate to act on. Active, crazy Spencer takes his energy and wild feelings outside so that he can be calm when his new little sister is around.This book is great for reading to new older siblings to help explain how to act around a baby.
by Bruce Hale recounts the struggles of Clark, a cheerful, boisterous shark who wants to play with others but keeps knocking them over. His teacher helps him learn to control his desire to bump into others so he can make friends.
is a wonderful story about four animal friends with very different personalities who use their strengths to together complete a treasure hunt. This book is great for showing children that no matter whether you are strong-willed or meticulous or anxious by nature, you have something to contribute to a group of friends.
, a creative book that presents the concept of free will in an engaging manner for young children. Check out my review 
as an extension of reading about emotions and feelings. This game helps children practice skills to deal with emotions and empathize with others.
is a beautiful new book that introduces little children to Mary’s love and her many appearances to her earthly children. Full review 
has the traditional antiphon, then a short kid-friendly meditation on the station with a picture to look at. 
is a good choice. There are a few interactive pages to help the child follow along. This second edition has a sturdy board book style construction to hold up to little hands using it every week!
! There’s a one page story about the saint of the day and a coloring page. Great for engaging young ones! 
is a parable retelling that has quickly become a family favorite. Full review 
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by Regina Doman is the perfect book to nourish a love for unborn babies in your child. This is a sweet story about an unborn baby’s experience in the womb and chats with its guardian angel.