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.

This is the story of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the little Italian nun who came as a missionary to help the Italian immigrants, orphans and many others in America. She was the first American citizen to be canonized. This audio drama is very nicely performed with a full cast and narrator, music and sound effects. My daughter especially enjoyed this story since we had recently read Joan Stromberg's, The Orphans Find a Home: A St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Story.

This is a fascinating and surprisingly readable (but lengthy) biography of St. John Vianney - the definitive one, carefully researched from the documents produced for the canonization process. It is most suitable for adults, but will be appropriate for teens who enjoy reading - it is particularly beneficial for young men considering the priesthood. Some of the particular stories about St. John Vianney and those whose lives he touched are absolutely amazing.

This book also bears a special recommendation from Pope John Paul II and had a substantial influence on his life. He had this to say about St. John Vianney and this particular book in his own book Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination...

"With great emotion I visited the little old church where Saint John Vianney heard confessions, taught catechism, and gave his homilies. It was an unforgettable experience for me. From my seminary years I had been impressed by the figure of the Cure d'Ars, especially after reading his biography by Monsignor Trochu. Saint John Marie Vianney astonishes us because in him we can see the power of grace working through human limitations. It was his heroic service in the confessional which particularly struck me. That humble priest, who would hear confessions more than ten hours a day, eating little and sleeping only a few hours, was able, at a difficult moment in history, to inspire a kind of spiritual revolution in France..." (pp. 57, Gift and Mystery by Pope John Paul II)

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.