Grandma's Best Stories

Caitrin Bennett reviews a new collection of short, illustrated stories for children from Magnificat and Ignatius Press.

New from Magnificat and Ignatius Press, Grandma’s Best Stories is a collection of short, wholesome tales for the young child in your life. Karine-Marie Amiot’s gentle stories have been translated from the original French for a new audience.

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In this collection, you will meet Big Deer, who loves to read to the other animal residents of Four Winds Mountain. There is also a lonely old bear who discovers the joy of friendship when a family of birds takes up residence in his mailbox. Human characters appear in two stories about the special bond between grandparent and grandchild. These stories make the book an especially good gift for a granddaughter or grandson, aged about four to seven years.

Each of the seven stories can be read in just a few minutes and has a very gentle plotline that won’t rile the kids up too much at bedtime. Julie Mellan’s illustrations—my favorite part of the book—maintain that calm. The warm colors and smiling animals are a lovely accompaniment to each tale

This is not an inherently religious book, but each sweet story contains characters of upright character. The collection is focused on themes like the joy of sharing stories, friendship, family bonds, and giving of oneself. Parents and grandparents can feel good about reading aloud any story in the book, knowing the wholesome messages and charming illustrations will keep the child’s mind focused on the things that are good and beautiful.

Ask for Grandma's Best Stories at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Ignatius Press.