My little boys love heroes. They love Bilbo and they love Aslan. They love Robin Hood and they love Mufasa. They love George Washington. But there is a hero they love far more than any of these. He wears a tall hat and carries a staff; although sometimes he wears a furry hat and carries a large bag. His name is Saint Nicholas.

Over the years, my little boys have heard many stories about Saint Nicholas. They especially love the one about him punching the heretic and being sent to prison. But they also love the stories about Saint Nicholas delivering coins through windows and rescuing sailors, and even the admittedly less plausible stories about flying reindeer. They love Saint Nicholas like they know him. I believe they do know him.

And the funny thing about good stories about good people who we know and love is that we can hear them over and over again. My children love many other saints too and their wonderful stories and it is the stories that first captivate them and stick with them. While they find facts interesting, it is stories that they first fall in love with. 

I set out to write my own saint book because I wanted to give my children more of these stories. We have many beautifully illustrated saint books, but I have often found that these books focus more on facts and biographical details with stories here and there— a format that works well for those who already love the saints and want to soak up anything about them. I wanted to write something that stuck to the most basic. One amazing story about each saint. One story to make them remember. One story to give them hope and faith and joy. One story to start a relationship.

Writing A Storybook of Saints has been a great blessing. I wrote many of the stories with a baby sleeping on my lap or with a six-year-old hovering over the computer, reading ahead, and giving advice. I wrote stories in the mountains and in the car and in the hospital. I wrote the stories of saints who were already an essential part of my family and my own spirituality and I wrote the stories of saints who I knew very little about and now love very much. I wish I could write them all!

I wrote A Storybook of Saints primarily for my four little boys (and now one more little boy on the way.) But I am thrilled that A Storybook of Saints is now available to more children and families. I hope you all enjoy reading it together, especially during this strange and confusing time. May the saints be with you always!

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A Storybook of Saints can be purchased https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/storybook-of-saints or at https://www.amazon.com/Storybook-Saints-Elizabeth-Hanna-Pham/dp/1644130688/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=a+storybook+of+saints&qid=1589552791&sr=8-1.