Curious kids want to know. Now you'll have the answer! Through lighthearted verse, comical illustrations, and charming lift-the-flap format, Davis tells her children the pre-birth story of how they grew and how she felt, month by month, from the start of pregnancy until mother and child met, face-to-face. Your kids will know they are part of the family! 24 pages, hardcover from Workman.

"Oh, my little one,

I have great plans for you!
I have chosen you to be
a very important person
whom I will always love."

This beautifully illustrated, delightful story of an imaginary conversation between God and an unborn baby will lead children to see that from the very moment God gave them a soul at conception, He had great plans for them.

In this charming odyssey of self-discovery, the child imagines himself as an astronaut, a baker, a farmer, a doctor, a teacher, a parent, and a child . . . important simply for who he is — a child whom God will always love.

Before Austen Comes Aesop presents an in-depth examination of the Children's Great Books, that is, the literature that has made the most profound impact on the lives of children throughout Western history. In addition to its invaluable chronological list of titles, from ancient times to the present, the book provides both students and their parents the guidance they need to read leisurely or study formally the Children's Great Books at home.

The book's premise is that children often do not spend enough time with the literature written or adapted for them before diving into adult works. An experienced teacher, the author argues that children benefit in many ways from lingering longer over literature created for them.

The Children's Great Books list includes the classic works that, while not written strictly for children, were orally passed on to them for generations and are foundational for understanding Western culture. These works include Greek and Roman fables, myths, and epics; European legends, sagas, folk stories, and fairy tales; and the Bible. The list also includes the acclaimed works written specifically for children, beginning in the age of the first printing presses and continuing into the late twentieth century. 

Additionally, acknowledging the changes in children's literature that have occurred since the mid-1960s, the author provides helpful information for discerning which contemporary influential books are appropriate, or perhaps inappropriate, for one's children. She also includes several appendices that are useful for the study of literature at both the elementary and the secondary levels.

Italian Carmelite Antonio Maria Sicari's vibrant biographies of saints—from Augustine to Catherine of Siena to Faustina Kowalska—have been read across Europe for decades. In How Saints Die, Sicari turns to the most difficult challenge in the life of a Christian: the hour of death.

What he uncovers in this darkest moment, however, is not desolation, but inexplicable joy. "I have recounted the death of many saints," he writes, "but all of them have confirmed for me the truth of this ancient Christian intuition: in the death of a saint, it is death that dies!"

With in-depth research and a flair for storytelling, Sicari brings before our eyes the gracious last hours of one hundred men and women—lovers and martyrs, thinkers and workers, ancients and moderns, old men and teens. Included are Kateri Tekakwitha, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, Thomas Aquinas, Josephine Bakhita, Jérôme Lejeune, Clare of Assisi, and many more. In each, a new shade of the divine light shines through.

Those seeking insight into the mystery of death and suffering will find in this book not only wisdom, but rich and realistic consolation. Divided into brief, readable chapters organized by theme, the collection offers at every bend another fine-grained snapshot of a Christian fully alive.

A sweet and tender book that shows a child all the ways he is loved. That he is a precious treasure to his parents and family, and to God. And that he is loved beyond measure.

It teaches the child who Jesus is, how much He loves us, and that He gives us the supreme example of how we are to show love to others.

"What joy when you were born and we heard your first cry. Your head was so tiny we could hold it in our hands. What a wonderful gift you are!"

"When you laugh, we laugh too. We so love to see you happy! When you cry, we're sad and we comfort you. We're always there to protect you."

"Even though Jesus is God, you two have a lot in common. Jesus understands you because he was a child once. Through Jesus, God is very, very close to you."