St. Therese of the Child Jesus

St. Therese of Lisieux from Lives of the Saints by Rev. Alban Butler (copyright 1894)

"Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin, known as "The Little Flower of Jesus," was born at Alencon, France, on January 2nd, 1873. Reared in a home of comfort and surrounded by refinements that would have spoiled an ordinary child, Teresa's intelligence had an early dawning which enabled her to comprehend the Divine Goodness far in advance of her tender years. Our Lord visited upon the child a severe trial--a strange malady from which there seemed no recovery. Her implicit confidence in God, however, overcame her infirmity and she progressed rapidly toward sanctity.Teresa adopted flowers as the symbol of her love for her Divine Saviour and offered her practices in virtue, sacrifice, and mortification as flowers at the feet of Jesus. At fifteen she entered the Carmelite Convent at Lisieux, France, where she distinguished herself by punctual observance of the rule, burning love for God and wonderful trust in Him. Before she died, this "lily of delicious perfume"--as Pope Pius X. called her--revealed to the superiors her life story in pages of rarest beauty.She died in the odor of sanctity on September 30th, 1897, at the age of 24. Since her death countless graces have been attributed to her intercession. Pope Benedict XV, in 1921 opened the way for the process of her beatification and she was declared Blessed by Pope Pius XI. on April 29, 1923, and was canonized on May 17, 1925."
St. Therese was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

Catholic Children's Treasure Box Books 1-6, story of St. Therese

Publisher: 
TAN Books and Publishers
Subject(s): 
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Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

A multi-part story of St. Therese's life is told in these six books with lovely colorful illustrations. This version would be especially appealing to three to six year old children. The story includes quite a few interesting details focusing on Therese's acts of sacrifices and offerings to God of everything she did - both those things that were hard for her to do (such as giving some flowers that she had just picked to her grandmother to use at the altar) to those things that she enjoyed doing. Also included are instructions for making the St. Therese Sacrifice Beads (to count the little acts and sacrifices one makes during a day - after beads are pushed to one side they stay in place even when carried around in a pocket). Our family liked these stories best of all the stories in the Treasure Box Books

Reviewed by: 
Review Date: 
9-24-2000

God's Little Flower, the Story of St. Therese of Lisieux

Author(s): 
Chris Driscoll
Illustrator(s): 
Patrick Kelley
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2001
ISBN: 
1929039050
Publisher: 
Ambassador Books
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
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St. Therese of Lisieux is a very popular saint whose life story is easily understood by children. While not full of action and adventure, her life story's simplicity and sweetness are appealing to even the most worldly of children. This lovely picture book, with its carefully chosen vocabulary and sentence structures, is written on a level that will allow a 3rd-grade and up child to read it for himself or herself. The full-page illustrations are attractive, colorful, simple, and modern in style, adding to the story rather than overwhelming it.

God's Little Flower is not so much a biography but an age-appropriate explanation of St. Therese's spirituality. There are no dates or quotations or geography lessons slipped into the text, yet it manages to convey an even more important lesson---that of quiet, loving service to God through our prayers and sufferings.

Reviewed by: 
Review Date: 
9-3-02

Little Therese

Book cover: 'Little Therese'
Author(s): 
Adapted from Pere J. Carbonel, S.J.
Number of pages: 
153 pages
Copyright: 
1925
Publisher: 
Catholic Heritage Curricula
Binding: 
Softcover
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This biography of St. Therese of Lisieux for children emphasizes the story of her childhood, her simple spirituality as taught to her by her family with an emphasis on the little acts of sacrifice she made and how that helped her to develop control of her will. The story includes many details of Therese's childhood and family life that Catholic homeschool families will relate to. It is told in a way that encourages young children to offer little sacrifices to God in imitation of this saint. I was particularly amused to hear that St. Therese at first did not want to study her lessons and would hide from her mother. I know that this particular behavior is one that has frustrated a number of homeschooling mothers. They may be encouraged to know that Zelie Martin struggled with this too and may wish to ask Blessed Zelie and Saint Therese to gain the cooperation of their children. The book also includes numerous pen and ink illustrations (on almost every page) which highlight the ways in which St. Therese imitated Our Lord even as a small child. A sixteen page segment in the middle of the book provides a timeline and a number of black and white reproductions of photos and paintings depicting her life.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Review Date: 
9-24-2000

The Little Flower

The Story of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
Book cover: 'The Little Flower: The Story of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus'
Author(s): 
Mary Fabyan Windeatt
Number of pages: 
167 pages
Copyright: 
1944
Publisher: 
TAN Books and Publishers
Binding: 
Softcover
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I have not yet read this story, but my daughter read it to herself and enjoyed it very much even though she already read St. Therese and the Roses.

Perspective: 
Catholic

St. Therese and the Roses

Book cover: 'St. Therese and the Roses'
Author(s): 
Helen Walker Homan
Number of pages: 
149 pages
Copyright: 
1955
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Series: 
Vision
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Subject(s): 
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Grade / Age level: 
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Therese Martin (1873 - 1897) was the youngest of five girls growing up in a devout Catholic family in France in the late nineteenth century. We all know how, in just over one hundred years she has become one of the most beloved Saints in the Church and has recently been named "Doctor of the Church" by Pope John Paul II. This is the delightful and moving story of a little girl who became a great saint; of five sisters who were all called to religious vocations. The story focuses on her family life and the little details that make an interesting story and when added together make sense out of who she was. Although the Vision Series was intended for ages nine to fifteen, this story is one of my six year old daughter's favorites (we've had to read it aloud twice so far). It is an excellent read-aloud book for the whole family, which allows moms (and dads too) to benefit from the story and become more acquainted with Saint Therese's Little Way.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Review Date: 
11-16-99