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.
Advent & Christmas:
December 1st, St. Edmund Campion (Hist.):
- St. Edmund Campion (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Edmund Campion, Hero of God’s Underground (Vision) by Harold C. Gardiner SJ
December 1st, St. Eligius (Hist.):
- Saint Eloi (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
December 2nd, St. Bibiana (Trad.):
December 3rd, St. Francis Xavier (New, Trad.):
- St. Francis Xavier (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Francis Xavier (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. Francis Xavier (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- Saint Francis Xavier (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- St. Francis Xavier: Apostle of the Japanese (The Book of Saints and Heroes) by Andrew Lang
- X – Alphabet of Catholic Saints by Nippert
- St. Francis Xavier and the Samurai’s Lost Treasure (DVD with Companion Book)
- St. Francis of the Seven Seas (Vision) by Albert J Nevins
- Set All Afire: A Novel about St. Francis Xavier by Louis de Wohl
- St. Francis Xavier (Cooking with the Saints)
December 4th, St. Peter Chrysologus (Trad.) (New – July 30th):
- St. Peter Chrysolugus (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 4th, St. Barbara (Trad.):
- Barbara (Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. Barbara (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- Saint Barbara (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- St. Barbara (Cooking with the Saints)
December 5th, St. Sabas (Trad.):
December 6th, St. Nicholas (New, Trad.):
- St. Nicholas (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Nicholas (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. Nicholas (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- St. Nicholas (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- Saint Nicholas (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- N – Alphabet of Catholic Saints by Nippert
- St. Nicholas (Picture Book of Saints)
- Saint Nicholas by Ann Tompert
- The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi (great book, definitely a favorite)
- Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend (board book)
- St. Nicholas: A Closer Look at Christmas (coffee table style book)
- The Real Santa Claus: Legends of Saint Nicholas (another favorite, most appropriate for older children, especially love the illustrations)
- The Baker’s Dozen: A St. Nicholas Tale (our “Baker’s Dozen” inspired cookies)
- The Miracle of Saint Nicholas (about a church named “Saint Nicholas” – definitely near the top of my list of favorites for Advent and Christmas)
- The Church Mouse of St. Nicholas
- Kersti and Saint Nicholas
- A Gift from St. Nicholas (we don’t love the illustrations in this one)
- St. Nicholas (Cooking with the Saints)
- Nicholas of Myra: Giver of Many Gifts
- Saint Nicholas and the Mouse of Myra (comic book style)
- The Legend of Saint Nicholas (love this new book about St. Nicholas!)
December 7th, St. Ambrose (New, Trad.)
- St. Ambrose (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Ambrose (Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- Saint Ambrose and the Bees (Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow) by Eric A. Kimmel
- St. Ambrose (Cooking with the Saints)
December 8th, The Immaculate Conception (New, Trad.)
- The Immaculate Conception (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- The Immaculate Conception by Jude Winkler
- Just Like Mary
- Mary Most Holy (Coloring Book)
December 9th, St. Peter Fourier:
- St. Peter Fourier (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 9th, St. Juan Diego (New):
- Saint Juan Diego (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Juan Diego: Mary’s Humble Messenger
- Fresh Flowers in Winter – The Story of St. Juan Diego (Glory Stories)
- Cloak of Roses – Our Lady of Guadalupe (Regina Martyrum Productions)
December 10th, St. John Roberts:
- St. John Roberts (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 10th , Our Lady of Loreto (Hist.):
December 11th, Bl. Franco Grotti:
- Bl. Franco Grotti (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe (New, Trad./some places):
- Our Lady of Guadalupe (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- Our Lady of Guadalupe by Father Lovasik
- Our Lady of Guadalupe(Coloring Book) by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
- The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe Empress of the Americas by C. Lourdes Walsh (*there are still a few copies available here at the old price, plus you can support the sisters with your purchase!)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe by Carmen t. Bernier-Grand
- Our Lady of Guadalupe by Francisco Serrano (beautiful pop-up)
- Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Fresh Flowers in Winter – The Story of St. Juan Diego (Glory Stories)
- Cloak of Roses – Our Lady of Guadalupe (Regina Martyrum Productions)
December 12th, St. Finnian:
December 13th, St. Lucy (New, Trad.):
- St. Lucy (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Lucy (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- Lucy (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- St. Lucy (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- L – Alphabet of Catholic Saints by Nippert
- *Lucia, Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde
- Hanna’s Christmas by Melissa Peterson (Hanna’s Christmas is out of print and hard to find at a reasonable price, especially this time of year, but you can watch the author read it aloud on Youtube!)
- Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker
- Lucia, Child of Light: The History And Traditions of Sweden’s Lucia Celebration
- Bells of Santa Lucia
- Kirsten’s Surprise: A Christmas Story
- A Story of Saint Lucy by Brother Ernest
- Lucia, Saint of Light
December 13th, St. Odilia (Hist.):
- St. Odilia (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- (Saints: Lives and Illuminations)
- Odilia, the Blind Princess (Golden Legend of Young Saints)
- O – Alphabet of Catholic Saints by Nippert
December 14th, St. Spiridion:
- St. Spiridion (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 14th, St. John of the Cross (New) (Trad. – Nov. 24th):
- Saint John of the Cross (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
December 15th, St. Nino (Hist.):
December 16th, St. Adelaide (Hist.):
- St. Adelaide (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Alice (Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
December 17th, Pope Francis’ Birthday:
- Jorge from Argentina: The Story of Pope Francis for Children
- Our Holy Father the Pope, From St. Peter to the Present
December 17th, St. Olympias (Hist.):
- St. Olympias (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 18th, St. Flannan:
December 19th, Bl. Urban the V (Hist.):
- Bl. Urban the V (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 20th, St. Dominic of Silos (Hist.):
- St. Dominic of Silos (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 21st, St. Thomas, Apostle (Trad.) (New – July 3rd ):
- St. Thomas, Apostle (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Thomas the Apostle (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. Thomas (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
December 22nd, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Trad./some places) (New – Nov.13th):
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Francis Xavier Cabrini (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- Saint Francis Cabrini (Saints for Girls) by Susan Weaver (Neumann Press)
- Mother Cabrini, Missionary to the World (Vision) by Francis Parkinson Keyes
- The Orphans Find a Home: A Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini Story
- Noble Heroine of Charity (The Story of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini) Audio from Regina Martyrum Productions
December 23rd, St. Servulus (Hist.):
- St. Servulus (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 24th, Bl. Paula Ceriolo:
- Bl. Paula Ceriolo (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
December 25th, Christmas, The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ (New, Trad.):
- Christmas, The Birthday of Our Lord (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Solemnity of the Nativity of Jesus (Mondays With Mary) by Meredith Henning
- Our Advent and Christmas Book Collection
December 26th, St. Stephen (New, Trad.):
- St. Stephen (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- St. Stephen (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- Saint Stephen (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale
- Good King Wenceslas by Jane Seymore
- A Story of Saint Stephen by Brother Ernest
- Stephen’s Feast
December 27th, St. John the Evangelist (New, Trad.):
- St. John the Evangelist (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- St. John (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- John the Evangelist (The Twelve Apostles) by Marianna Meyer
- St. John the Apostle (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
December 28th, The Holy Innocents (New, Trad.):
- The Holy Innocents (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- The Holy Innocents (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
December 29th, St. Thomas Becket (New, Trad.):
- St. Thomas Becket (Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year – Vol 2)
- Saint Thomas Becket (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- T- St. Thomas (An Alphabet of Saints) by Robert Hugh Benson (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
December 29th, St. David the King (Hist.):
- King David And His Songs by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
December 30th, St. Anysius (Hist.):
December 31st, St. Melania:
Other Links for December:
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