Loyola Kids Book of Heroes: Stories of Catholic Heroes and Saints throughout History (The Loyola Kids Series)

I purchased this book for my grandson's First Communion. It would have been helpful to have an age range for the reader included with the description (it did not), and despite the colorful images on the outside of the book, the illustrations inside are more muted, which is somewhat misleading (inside pages were not shown with the accompanying description). Although I'm sure my grandson will be intrigued with the stories (several may need to be read to him and/or further explained, due to his age), this book would be much more appealing to youngsters if vibrant artwork were included within the accompanying text.

Bought this book for my Nephew's First Communion! The book is made well! The stories are interesting! My Nephew loves it!I added a First Communion Prayer Cross and a First Communion Scapular with the book.

This book of virtues is written in a way that is completely relatable to the child. I love starting the day with one of these stories. They're pleasant to read and the children grasp their message. Even I take away something regarding my own walk with Christ through these stories. My children are 8 and 11 and this book is directly exactly at that age.

I would actually rate this 4.5 stars if Amazon had that option. The reason I can't give the book 5 stars are as follows: (1) the author does not use proper capitalization for pronouns referring to God (i.e. she uses "his" when it should be "His") and (2) the saints' feast days are not listed under the chapter title for easy liturgical year reference.I really like how this book is organized by the 7 cardinal virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice. I also think it includes a good mix of saints, blesseds, Biblical people, and other Catholics from throughout the ages. Some are very familiar such as Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope John XXIII, St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi, and so on. Others were unfamiliar to me having been raised in the post-Vatican II era and it's nice to learn their stories. The text is engaging and the author does a good job at presenting the stories in an age-appropriate manner (always a concern when dealing with the violence many of the saints had to endure).

This book is well-written and good for elementary ages. I purchased it for my sons but they were not interested in it because it lacks illustrations (average of one simple sketch per chapter) . I would buy it for kids ages 8 or older, who are able to think through a story better than younger kids.Each chapter is a story on a Saint. Many you'll recognize, some will be new. Each story tries to convey a virtue, which helps add meaning to the Saint's life and works. Some of the stories could have been more dynamically written, and the book could have included more common/popular Saints.All in all, a good purchase. We'll keep it until the boys are old enough to enjoy it. I'd give it 4.5 out of 5.

My kids 14, 12, 11 all enjoy the stories. My husband and I also enjoy the variation. We first read the Saints stories book and we’re glad to have another from the series.

These stories are great for personal reflection or conversation with your kids. I love how it describes your relationship with Jesus as a friendship that is different than your friendship with people. Each story continues to talk about your friendship with Jesus. I have little kids and my oldest is the only one old enough to get anything out of it...he is 6 and has a really good attention span for a 6 year old. I would recommend this book for ages like 7-12.

This book is not for very young children. The way some of the stories are told can be a bit frightening for some children. For instance, the story about Maria Goretti made my daughter scared for a while. She already knew the story from another book and didn't feel that way before. I definitely do not like a lot of the reflections the author writes at the beginning of each saint/heroe's life. I was expecting to find the life of the saints and heroes but not the author's comments/reflections about them.

I purchased this to inspire my son about our faith and to provide healthy role models for him that aren’t cartoons or come with capes! Thought it could inspire him to be a hero in his life as he grows up. He’s 5. Only downside of the book is that it’s aimed at older children- would suggest 10+. I read him the stories however there aren’t enough pictures and the vocabulary is more advanced than his comprehension currently. Will keep it for later!

Wanting a religious book for a friends 8 year old daughter to mark her first Holy Communion, I ordered this book which seemed an interesting alternative to a bible. It is very American in its style of writing - quite direct and familiar; I decided to read a few of the stories before I wrapped it; thank goodness I did! Beware the 'forgiveness' story of St Maria Goretti who after refusing to carry out sexual acts on a male family friend was stabbed 14 times by him. Before dying she forgives him. The book does have some good examples of how the stories and lessons of the Saints can be applied to modern life. Maybe it is appropriate for teenage children if you like the direct style - but it is not for me!

Got this for my son for Christmas. It's a very nice book. Well written and well illustrated. MY son is 7-years old and the stories keeps him interested. A very good buy.

Nice book for children to learn about catholic personalities, encouraging children to think about their actions. Fast delivery.

Amy Welborn has done a great job of collecting these wonderful stories of Catholic heroes and saints. I use it as a supplement to the Story of the World series in my homeschooling program. I wish she would write some more of these books to include some of the more controversial people in history, so that the Catholic perspective on historical figures like Mary Queen of Scots would be easy to explain for those of us without a strong history background. It's an excellent book. The artwork doesn't interfere with the story line, but nicely supports it without being too cutesy. I give it four stars instead of five only because the tone is that of a teacher or mentor speaking to a child- and I prefer a straight storybook approach for my children so that we can read aloud and then converse about the story without the author's take entering the conversation. That is only a matter of personal taste. Great for independent reading, or people who need "starters" for conversations with their kids. I would give it 5 stars for that.