Tomie de Paola's Books of Faith

When I lived in Vermont, I was not so very far away from Tomie de Paola's New London, NH, home. I never got to meet Tomie personally, but I was aware of his involvement in his local parish and the way he gave of himself and his talents to his faith community. Many of Tomie's children's books were designed and written as a way to share his faith with the wider world.

Tomie de Paola has several books which treat Biblical themes. Whether Old Testament or New Testament, Tomie treats his subject matter in a gentle, non-proselytizing way. He treats the themes, in other words, in a way that can touch a young child's heart.

Tomie has also created a series of children's books about individual saints. Each of these books talks about the saint in language that a child can understand. A Tomie de Paola saint book for children would make a wonderful gift from a godparent to help a child get to know his or her patron saint or name saint. Parents and grandparents may find these books a helpful gift, too. And of course, church school and Sunday school teachers would find these books great to have on hand for their classrooms.

Tomie de Paola tells many favorite Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments.

Illustrating the stories with tenderness, Tomie de Paola retells such Bible stories as Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, Abraham, and Moses. He includes the story of Jesus with his miracles and His rising from the dead.

Your children will love his simple yet beautiful illustrations. You will, too!

128 pages

Ages 4 and up

The Miracles of Jesus includes Jesus' first miracle at the wedding at Cana, turning water into wine when the wine ran out at the wedding feast.

Other miracles included in this book are when Jesus calmed the storm, when He walked on water, and when he raised the dead.

A nice collection of Bible stories to share with your children, The Miracles of Jesus will inspire you. These stories work well when read aloud.

Although I personally have not read this Tomie de Paola book, I imagine he has retold the story of Mary using the bits of information of her life from Biblical accounts as well as the stories that have come down through the tradition. This is a book I will order for myself.

Tomie de Paola has two books about St. Francis of Assisi (that I know of). Tomie's devotion to St. Francis of Assisi can be seen in the care this illustrator takes with his depictions of animals in his books. I think Tomie de Paola must be an animal lover, too -- don't you?

St. Patrick is the most beloved saint of Ireland, and indeed is loved by many others throughout the world. Patrick's story begins with being kidnapped by Irish sailors as a young teen and working as a slave in Ireland for several years before escaping to freedom. He later returns to Ireland, the place of his captivity, as a bishop and converts the Irish people to Christianity. He is known for his great love for his people and for the beautiful prayers attributed to him, praising God through the natural world.

Benedict and Scholastica were brother and sister. Even though they each went into the monastic life as young adults, they maintained a close relationship throughout their adult life through correspondance. They encouraged and exhorted each other and challenged each other to live as fully and as faithfully as they could.

Written by Kathleen Norris and illustrated by Tomie de Paola, this book tells the reader about these two saint heros, starting with a very human beginning of siblings growing up with all the joys and challenges of being brother and sister.

In this book Tomie de Paola gives thanks and praise for all of Creation: sun and moon, plants of the earth, and the animals that crawl, swim, and fly. The words are inspired by the Old Testament. 

Saints and Spirituality
A collection of lenses about saints and prayer.

St Patrick: Apostle to Ireland
Who was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick's Breastplate
St. Patrick's prayer, sometimes called the Lorca, in which Patrick binds himself to the Trinity in all things.

Prayer of St. Francis
The special prayer of St. Francis of Assisi that begins, "Make me an instrument of your peace."