At the beginning of each month I fill a basket with books featuring the the various saints whose feast days will be celebrated during the month and place it in the living room. Throughout the month I will find the children curled up on the couch reading books they have chosen from the basket, either on their own or to their younger siblings. I also choose books from the basket for some of our afternoon family read-alouds. Our collection started very small and we have continued adding additional books over the years which we have either purchased or have been given as gifts. Some are picture books, some are chapter books, and some are collections of saint stories. This post is a work in progress and I will continue adding links as I sort through our collection.
Month of October – Respect Life
October 1st, St. Thérèse of Lisieux (New) (Trad. – Oct. 3rd):
- Catholic Treasure Box Books (also available from TAN)
- Therese (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. Therese of Lisieux (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- Saint Therese of Lisieux (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- T – Alphabet of Catholic Saints by Nippert
- Saint Therese (Saints for Girls) by Father Gales (Neumann Press)
- The Little Flower of Jesus by Sister Julita (Neumann Press)
- Therese: The Little Flower of Lisieux by Sioux Berger
- Therese of Lisieux: Little Flower of Love by Barbara Yoffie
- God’s Little Flower: The Story of St. Therese of Lisieux by Chris Driscoll
- Saint Therese the Little Flower by Alice Joyce Davidson
Chapter Books
- Saint Therese of Lisieux: And the “little way” of love (Along the Paths of the Gospel Series)
- St. Therese and the Roses (Vision) by Helen Walker Homan
- The Little Flower by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
- The Little Queen of Lisieux (1959) by Mary Elizabeth Martin
- Olivia and The Little Way by Nancy Carabio Belanger
- Olivia’s Gift by Nancy Carabio Belanger
A Few of My Personal Favorites
- The Story of a Soul (Study Edition)
- The Story of a Family: The Home of St. Therese of Lisieux
- Therese and Lisieux by Pierre Descouvemont
- Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s St. Therese – A Treasured Love Story (also available in paperback)
- St. Therese, The Little Flower: The Making of a Saint
- Daily Journal: St Therese the Little Flower
Audio
- Praying the Rosary with St. Therese of Lisieux
- God’s Little Flower: The Story of Saint Therese of Lisieux (Glory Stories: Volume II – available from Holy Heroes)
Movies
October 2nd, The Holy Guardian Angels (New, Trad.):
- Guardian Angels (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- Guardian Angels (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- Catholic Treasure Box Books
- The Guardian Angel Prayer
(Board Book)
- The Angels by Father Lovasik
- A Book of Angels by Marigold Hunt
- My Guardian Dear: A Story of the Angels by Susan Brindle (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)
- Morning Prayer to the Guardian Angels (Saints for Girls) by Father Gales (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
- Choirs of Angles Coloring Book
- Counting On Faith
- The Guardian Angels: Our Protectors by Daniel Lord
October 3rd, St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Trad.) (New. – Oct. 1st):
- See October 1st for Book list.
October 4th, St. Francis of Assisi (New, Trad.):
- Francis of Assisi (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- Saint Francis and the Wolf (Legends of Saints and Beasts) by Ann Marie Jauss
- St. Francis of Assisi (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- St. Francis of Assisi (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- Saint Francis and the Wolf (Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow) by Eric A. Kimmel
- Saint Francis of Assisi (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- St. Francis of Assisi: Preacher to the Birds (The Book of Saints and Heroes) by Andrew Lang
- Saint Francis (Saints for Boys) by Alma Savage (Neumann Press)
- F- St. Francis of Assisi (An Alphabet of Saints) by Robert Hugh Benson (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
- F – Alphabet of Catholic Saints by Nippert
Picture Books
- The Good Man of Assisi by Mary Joslin (OOP but will be re-released April 2015)
- Saint Francis by Brian Wildsmith
- Clare and Francis by Guido Visconti
- Brother Francis and the Friendly Beasts by Margaret Hodges
- St. Francis of Assisi by Fr. Lovasik
- Saint Francis and the Wolf by Richard Egielski
- St. Francis and the Proud Cow by Bernadette Watts
- Francis Woke Up Early by Josephine Nobisso
- Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi by Juliette Levivier
- Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson
- Adventures in Assisi: On the Path with St. Francis by Amy Welborn
- St. Francis of Assisi Coloring Book
Chapter Books
- Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi (Vision) by Helen Walker Homan
- The Joyful Beggar: A Novel about Saint Francis of Assisi by Louis de Wohl
October 5th, St. Faustina Kowalska (New/some places):
- Helen’s Special Picture: A children’s story about Saint Maria Faustina by David Previtali
- Jesus, I Trust in You!: The Story of St. Faustina Kowalska (Glory Stories: Volume IV – available from Holy Heroes) )
October 7th, Our Lady of the Rosary (Victory of Lepanto) (New, Trad.):
- The Holy Rosary by Father Lovasik
- Saint Dominic and the Rosary (Vision Books) by Catherine Beebe
- The Blood-Red Crescent by Henry Garnett
- Rosary Coloring Book
- Coloring Book about the Rosary
- Rosary Meditations for Children by Christine Henderson
- The Rosary for Little Catholics
October 8th, St. Bridget of Sweden (Trad.) (New – July 23rd):
- Saint Bridget of Sweden (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
October 12th, St. Wilfrid of York (Hist.):
- W- St. Wilfrid of York (An Alphabet of Saints) by Robert Hugh Benson (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
October 13th, St. Edward the Confessor (Trad.):
- Edward the Confessor (Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
October 15th, St. Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Avila) (New, Trad.):
- St. Teresa of Avila (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- St. Teresa of Avila (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- Saint Teresa of Avila (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- Saint Teresa (Saints for Girls) by Eve Rouke (Neumann Press)
October 16th, St. Hedwig (New, Trad.):
- Hedwig (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
October 16th, St. Gerard Majella (Hist.):
- St. Gerard (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- To Heaven Through the Window (The Story of St. Gerard) Audio Available from Regina Martyrum Productions
October 16th, St. Margaret Mary Alocoque (New) (Trad. – Oct. 17th):
- Saint Margaret Mary (Saints for Girls) by Father Gales (Neumann Press)
- St. Margaret Mary by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
October 18th, St. Luke (New, Trad.):
- Luke (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- St. Luke (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- St. Luke the Evangelist (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- Counting On Faith (four evangelists)
October 19th, Sts. Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf & Comps (New) (Trad. – Sep. 26th):
- St. Isaac and the Indians (Vision) by Milton Lomask
- Ondessonk: Priest of the Red Man (The Story of St. Isaac Jogues) Audio Available from Regina Martyrum Productions
October 21st, St. Ursula & Her 11,000 Comps. (Trad.):
- U- St. Ursula (An Alphabet of Saints) by Robert Hugh Benson (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
October 22nd, St. John Paul II (New):
- A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II
- Karol: The Boy Who Became Pope: A Story of Saint John Paul II (Neumann Press)
- Karol from Poland: The Life of Pope John Paul II for Children by M. Leonora Wilson
- Lolek: The Boy Who Became Pope John Paul II by Mary Hramiec Hoffman
- Our Holy Father the Pope: The Papacy from Saint Peter to the Present
- Blessed John Paul II: Be Not Afraid
- John Paul II: The Journey of a Saint
- Pope Saint John Paul II “Be Not Afraid” (Glory Stories: Volume XI – available from Holy Heroes) )
October 23rd, St. Anthony Mary Claret (Trad.) (New – Oct 24th):
- Aflame for Souls Audio Available from Regina Martyrum Productions
- The Heavenly Helpers (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- The Angels: God’s Messengers and Our Helpers by Fr. Lovasik
October 27th, St. Tekla:
October 28th, Sts. Simon & Jude (New, Trad.):
- Saint Jude: A Friend in Hard Times by Michael Aquilina III
- Jude Thaddeus (The Twelve Apostles) by Marianna Meyer
- Simon (The Twelve Apostles) by Marianna Meyer
October 31st, St. Quentin (Hist.):
- Q- St. Quentin (An Alphabet of Saints) by Robert Hugh Benson (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
October 31st, All Hallows’ Eve (New, Trad.):
- Father Phillip Tells a Ghost Story: A Story of Divine Mercy
- For books about All Saints see the November Book Basket
Other Links for October:
Hello there! I happened to stumble upon this site by chance–I was hunting for some inspiration for a Lord of the Rings cake and this showed up–I was so shocked when the first thing that I saw was "Shower of Roses" along with a picture of St. Therese. I scrolled down and saw the picture of your family and was even more shocked and delighted to find that you were Roman Catholic and had a large family (I looove large families)! Finding this website absolutely made my day! St. Therese is my absolute favourite saint, and I absolutely love her. After reading the Olivia books several years ago, I now refer to her as my "Sister in Heaven" too. 🙂 Thank you so much for making this site! 🙂
2014-10-07 18:34:48
Thank you so much for your book lists for Celebrating the Saints! Our book basket has been overflowing…and we are LOVING IT!! 🙂
2014-10-07 20:45:12
Thank you for the picture book suggestions!
2014-10-07 22:37:56
Another wonderful book list. This is one of my favorite sites to refer to when planning our month.
2014-10-08 14:17:20
The book Therese and Lisieux is a treasure trove of amazing facts and photos! I love poring over it and would recommend it to anyone who has a special devotion to the Little Flower! 🙂
2014-10-09 11:40:06