A Board Book about Saintly Women

Laura Range reviews a new board book, All You Holy Women, Pray For Us, that shares the stories of 8 very different women saints.

All You Holy Women, Pray for Us, by Adam and Angela Smyth, is a charming board book for little ones that introduces them to eight diverse women saints. It’s a perfect way to begin teaching your children that God calls each one of us to become a saint, and that holiness looks different for everyone! Kateri was from the Mohawk tribe, Josephine Bakhita was a freed slave, Joan was a soldier, Cecilia was a wife -- such different backgrounds, personalities, and circumstances yet all united in their pursuit of holiness and service to God. The book also includes St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and St. Faustina.

All You Holy Women Pray for Us

The illustrations are adorable, portraying the saints in a sweet, whimsical manner yet still very identifiable. My daughter picked out her favorite, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, right away as she looked through it. Each page describes a specific saint with insightful rhyming verse. Occasionally, I felt the rhymes were awkward or forced (“prayin'” to rhyme with “stay in”) but overall I was impressed with the way they incorporated so many powerful aspects of these saints lives into a children’s rhyming board book.

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Characters such as princesses and superheroes certainly have their place, but it’s important not to underestimate our children’s ability to appreciate the greatest adventure of all in life. #catholicmom

Both my 4-year-old and I enjoyed reading this book together. The sturdiness of the board book means she (and her younger brothers!) can flip through it often and look at the different saints without much wear and tear. It’s wonderful to have her beginning to familiarize herself with all the strong and graceful women who have gone before us on the journey to Heaven and to recognize their faces, names, and stories. I was actually brought to tears at one point reading it, realizing what a gift it is to share such inspirational stories of these women with my daughter at such a young and impressionable age.

Other characters such as princesses and superheroes certainly have their place in childhood, but it’s important not to underestimate our young children’s ability to appreciate the greatest adventure of all in life -- becoming a saint. Just as they easily learn all the names and songs of the latest TV or movie characters, so too they can learn the names of the saints and amazing things they did for God (and that God did for them!). This board book is a perfect beginning for your little saint-in-the-making to do just that.

All You Holy Women, Pray for Us is published by Sophia Institute Press.