Do you have a young child who you would like to pray the rosary with? Young children may find it hard to sit or keep focus during the prayers (to be fair, so do many older people.) Holy Heroes has created a lovely series of books for children to use while praying the Rosary. Each of the four books focuses on one of the sets of mysteries: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious. Within the book, each page represents one prayer. The top of each page illustrates which bead of the Rosary you are praying.

The illustrations of each mystery by Stacey LeNeave are charming and have a child-like simplicity. These books would be lovely to use at home but could also be used as a visual aid in a parish or school religious education classroom setting.  

For older children, The Children’s Book of Angels by Jerry Windly-Daoust explains the Catholic understanding of angels. Set up in a question and answer format, it explores such questions as: What Do Angels Look Like?; What Do Angels Do?; How to Angels Help People?; and How Do Angels Announce God’s Good News? It also describes the nine different orders (choirs) of angels: seraphim, cherubim, thrones or elders, dominions, virtues of strongholds, powers, principalities, archangels, and angels. Windly-Daoust also explains about Guardian Angels and how the angels are present at the sacrifice of the Mass. The book has an imprimatur and is solidly based on biblical and Catholic teaching.

The illustrations by Austyn Schwartzbeck are lovely watercolors that have an ethereal quality perfect for portraying angels and scenes from the Bible where angels play a role. The Children’s Book of Angels is a perfect introduction to angels for elementary school-aged children.