By John Touhey, OSV
Your young ones may be taking a break from school, but with this kids’ book list, the summer months can be a time for fun and wholesome reading adventures. Take some time to help your kids find the perfect book.
• “The Strange Sound by the Sea” by Haley Stewart, (Pauline Books & Media US, 2023)
You may not have heard that G.K. Chesterton was secretly accompanied by a tiny cloister of talking mice who were also nun-detectives, but after your kids read this book (and the rest of the series), they can tell you all about their crime-solving escapades.
• “Hugh O’ Flaherty: The Irish Priest Who Resisted the Nazis by Fiorella de Maria” (Ignatius Press, 2023)
This true life story of a heroic priest who saved thousands from the Nazis during World War II is far more exciting than any of this summer’s Hollywood adventure movies.
• “Sarah and Simon Seek and Find the Life of Jesus” by Geert de Sutter (Magnificat, 2022)
This picture book brings the world of the Gospels alive for children. Your kids will enjoy exploring the environs of 1st-century Galilee and Jerusalem while following Jesus and a pair of children through 12 different episodes in his life.
• “Five for Victory” by Hilda van Stockum (Bethlehem Books. 1945, available on audiobook)
Though written for children, the books in Hilda van Stockum’s “Mitchell” series, drawn from the author’s own experiences, depict family life with evocative detail and wry humor. In this first book, dad goes off to fight in World War II and the Mitchell kids make their own small sacrifices to aid the war effort and their mom — but mostly they make up fun adventures the way all kids did before the invention of electronics.
— “The Essential Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel Publishing 1988)
Imagination runs wild in these classic comic strip tales of a boy and his talking tiger pal that are best shared by being read-aloud with the whole family. (Leave extra time for laughter.)
John Touhey is the Deputy Executive Editor of Aleteia.org‘s English edition, where this first appeared.
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