Before I get into this review there are 2 editions of this volume, one with full colour illustrations and one with black and white. It was so good I have picked up both editions. There is also a companion colouring book, which my son asked me to pick up for him. This new volume in this series is a little different. There are currently 11 volumes available in this series dedicated to specific saints, 3 the focus on 52 female saints, One that focuses on Saints for boys for first communion; and now this volume. I have enjoyed them a lot and keep checking for when new ones are released. I have benefited from reading them all and recommended each of them to several people. I especially loved the volume on Pope Leo XIV. This volume I picked up shortly after it released. It was released in 2026. The description of the book is:
“Not just stories. The moment everything changed.
What if your child didn’t just learn about saints—but stepped into the moment that defined them?
This book brings 33 Catholic saints to life through vivid, story-driven chapters, each centered on one decisive moment—when courage was tested, faith was chosen, and everything changed.
These are not summaries.
These are real moments, told like stories.
Inside this book, your child will meet:
A wounded soldier who stood back up and led an army (St. Joan of Arc)
A boy who stopped a fight with nothing but a crucifix (St. Dominic Savio)
A teenager who crossed frozen mountains alone to become a priest (St. Andrew Kim Taegon)
A farmer whose cloak revealed a miracle (St. Juan Diego)
A modern teenager who used technology to share his faith with the world (St. Carlo Acutis)
And 28 more unforgettable stories.
What makes this book different:
• Every chapter is built around a single defining moment
—making each story clear, powerful, and easy to remember
• Full-page illustrations that bring each moment to life
• A liturgical calendar connecting saints to the Church year
• Saint Snapshot sections for quick, meaningful reference
• A thoughtful structure that moves from story to reflection to action
Designed not just to be read—but to be understood, remembered, and lived.
Each chapter includes:
• A vivid, story-driven narrative (600–800 words)
• A clear virtue such as courage, faith, perseverance, or humility
• Saint Snapshot with feast day, patronage, and symbols
• Talk About It with one meaningful reflection question
• Try It with a simple real-world action
• A short, approachable prayer
Designed for ages 6–12:
• No graphic content
• Difficult moments handled with care
• Clear, engaging language for independent reading or read-aloud
Perfect for:
• First Communion and Confirmation gifts
• Bedtime reading
• Catholic homeschool and classrooms
• Family faith conversations
• Meaningful screen-free time
A different kind of saints book
Instead of covering everything, each chapter focuses on one moment that reveals who the saint was—and why it mattered.
Because those are the moments children remember.
If you’re looking for a saints book that is:
• Story-first, not textbook-style
• Visually engaging, with full-page illustrations
• Structured for real understanding—not just information
This is the book they’ll come back to again and again.”
Most of the volumes in this series are under the pen name Paddy Bréagnamh, this is the first under the name Monica Bennett. Leaving us to wonder if it is now a shared series of if a pen name is just being dropped. The chapters in this volume are:
A Note to Families
1. Saint Joan Of Arc
2. Saint Carlo Acutis
3. Saint Nicholas
4. Saint Thérèse Of Lisieux
5. Saint Peter
6. Saint Dominic Savio
7. Saint Josephine Bakhita
8. Saint Bernadette Soubirous
9. Saint Philip Neri
10. Saint Juan Diego
11. Saint Padre Pio
12. Saint Martin De Porres
13. Saint Elizabeth Of Hungary
14. Blessed Virgin Mary
15. Saint Francis Of Assisi
16. Saint Clare Of Assisi
17. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
18. Saint John Bosco
19. Saint Moses The Black
20. Saint Benedict Of Nursia
21. Saint Monica
22. Saint Andrew Kim Taegon
23. Saint Marianne Cope
24. Saint Francis Xavier
25. Saint Patrick
26. Saint Teresa Of Calcutta
27. Saint Charles Lwanga
28. Saint Giuseppe Moscati
29. Saint Sebastian
30. Saint Rose Of Lima
31. Saint Lorenzo Ruiz
32. Saint Maximilian Kolbe
33. Saint Martin Of Tours
Color the Stories You Just Read
Saints by Feast Day
About the Author
About the author we are informed:
“Monica Bennett writes faith-filled stories that help children see the saints as real people—people who were afraid, made mistakes, and chose God anyway. She began writing with a simple hope: to create stories that children (including her own!) would want to hear again, and that parents could return to with confidence.
She believes that faith is often passed on in small, everyday moments—especially in the quiet time spent reading together—and her books are designed to support those moments in a simple and meaningful way.”
I only highlighted a few passages in this volume. I have read books about most of the saints explored. What I did highlight was:
“Each of these thirty-three chapters is built around one moment, the hinge point where a saint made a decision that changed everything. I have tried to make each story feel like what it was: something that actually happened, to a real person, in a specific place and time.”
“Each chapter works on its own, so you can read them in any order: by the saint’s feast day, by your child’s interest, or simply from the beginning. The Talk About It question at the end of each story is designed for conversation at bedtime or around the dinner table. The Try It challenge is meant to be taken seriously: a small, concrete action your child can actually do that week. The prayer closes the chapter and can be said together.”
“He wasn't gaming tonight. He was building a website, one he had been working on for months, cataloguing every authenticated Eucharistic miracle in the history of the Church. Location, date, what had happened, photographs where he could find them. He wanted people to be able to see it all in one place, to understand that these weren't just old stories from dusty books but real events, verified by scientists, documented by witnesses, scattered across the world and across the centuries.”
“By the time he was seven he was asking to go to daily Mass, walking there himself when he could, spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament the way other children spent time in front of a screen.”
“But underneath the fragility was something else entirely: a will that bent for almost nothing.”
My son who is 18, and my daughter who is 15 and I listened to chunks of this in the car using adaptive technology. It sparked a lot of conversation around the specific stories, and specific saints. It is geared for a younger audience but any Catholic could benefit from reading it!
This book and series are great read for the young and the young at heart! I would love to see how the author would handle standalone volumes on Pier Giorgio Frassati, Charles de Foucauld, John Henry Newman, and many of my other favourite saints. But these books are so good no matter who is profiled next I know I will pick it up. My kids and I plan on listening to it again in the car and continuing our discussions.
That being said this volume would be a great gift for first communion or even confirmation. It would be an excellent addition to any home, school, or church library. This latest release in this series, is another fantastic read. The series keeps getting better and better. It was an excellent read in a great series.
