Seek and Find: The Lives of Saints

Caitrin Bennett reviews a new children’s search-and-find book available from Magnificat and Ignatius Press. 

Take Where’s Waldo? and simplify it slightly, so that preschoolers can find their targets without becoming too frustrated. Mix in a dozen amazing Catholic saints, shown in action in their own time periods and countries. What have you got? Magnificat and Ignatius Press’ new children’s book, Seek and Find: The Lives of Saints.

My own young children enjoyed finding little Sarah and Simon, as well as their goat, Gil, and several other familiar friends on each page. While they were searching through the scenes, I read them the short paragraph provided about each saint. These mini-biographies focus on the good works the saint did during his or her life. The illustrations are colorful and fun without being crowded and overwhelming like many search-and-find books can be.  

After locating the other characters, my children and I searched together for the featured saint. He or she could be found praying before a crucifix, preaching the Good News to a crowd, or tending to the sick. This was one of my favorite aspects of the book: it showed each saint as a real human, in a real time and place, serving God in their own unique way.  

I appreciated the range of saints in this book, from the 2nd century all the way to the 21st, and representing many nations across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They included many well-loved saints, such as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes and Saint Francis of Assisi. I was also excited to be introduced to a couple of new-to-me saints, including Saint Blandina of Lyon, a Roman slave girl who bravely attended Mass when doing so was illegal, and Saint Charles de Foucauld of the Sahara, who cared and prayed for the poor in the desert. 

This book would make a great addition to an Easter basket or Christmas stocking for a child aged approximately four to eight. I personally tossed mine into my Mass bag this past Sunday morning for my 4- and 5-year-olds. The pictures at the bottom of each page reminded them what to search for, so they were able to use the book without my help throughout the homily. When we are able to look through this book together, though, I enjoy sharing the stories of our friends in Heaven with my children and searching through the sweet and often humorous details in the pictures. 

Copyright 2023 Caitrin Bennett
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