Genre
Audience
Ages 3-6
Author’s Worldview
Catholic
Year Published
Themes
Prayer, Kindness, Charity, Angels, Blessings, Heaven, bedtime stories, hand-drawn illustrations
Reviewed by
A.R.K. Watson
This book’s simple and short sentences make it an excellent book to read at bedtime. Much like the children’s song “Five Little Monkeys,” this book can be a fun way to practice counting, and all the silly tumbles the angels make are opportunities to laugh, engage your child in reacting, “Oh no!”, “Uh oh!” or “Silly Angel!” using whatever level of language development they are currently in.
Five little angels dance in the sky whenever the humans below perform an act of charity or kindness, but with each dance, one gets over excited and trips or takes a tumble. The sight of three children bringing gifts to a sick friend makes one spin off from joy. When some other children build their mother a flower crown, another angel becomes so giddy, he stubs his toe dancing, and falls. Another is so overjoyed when some girls make up after fighting that she slips off the cloud. When only one angel is left, he goes to find his friends recovered from their tumbles and now dancing outside the window of a little child saying his prayers. On the last page the angels write into the sky, “Angels dance with joy for you oh beautiful child of God!”
The water-color illustrations in this book are cute and dreamlike. This is one of the books that my one-year-old likes to take down just to look at the pictures. The illustrator, Kolanovic has been nominated for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award, and it is easy to see why. I also appreciate that the angels and the children in the book are all different races, hair types and skin tones, making this book inclusive for children of all a wide range of backgrounds.
With the exception of helping some turtles cross a busy road, the book is full of practical examples of kindness that children can practice in their own life and imagine making the angels dance with joy.
Subscribe
Subscribe to Catholic Reads to get access to Catholic Literature from 50% off to FREE
Sister Aloysius Says, “Pray, Pray, Pray.” By Linda Etchison Illustrated by Denise Plumlee-Tadlock
Sister Aloysius teaches children how to be active in their prayer life.
Saint Michael: Above the 38th Parallel by Shanti Guy
The true story of St. Michael, the original punch-communism-in-the-face superhero
Why Reading Fiction Made Me a Better Catholic
How reading fiction became a crucial step in my conversion to the Catholic Church.
Cinderella by Charles Perrault
The true story of the Catholic saint who inspired the myth of Cinderella
Sister Aloysius Comes to Mercyville By Linda Etchison, Illustrated by Denise Plumlee-Tadlock
A young nun teaches children how to offer up their daily irritations to God.
There Once Was a Penny by Mark Restaino, Illustrations by J.P. Alcomendas
This nursery rhyme teaches kids the value of faith and how it can help a person to love themselves according to standards not of this world.
Sister Aloysius Arrives at Our Lady of Sorrows By Linda Etchison, Illustrated by Denise Plumlee-Tadlock
Sister Aloysius teaches love and respect in the family through prayers to Mary.
Extraordinary! by Jacqueline Brown, Illustrated by Katie Anne Ennis
Make your child feel secure and loved by God and their Catholic family.
Best of 2020
Yes some good things DID happen this year- Catholic creators have not let turmoil stop their mission.
The Fruit Tree by Mark Restaino, Illustrations by J.P. Alcomendas
This children’s fable will teach the whole family Biblical literacy and the Christian symbolic language.
The Light of Christmas Morning by Susan Joy Bellavance, Illustrated by Anne Kissanne Engelhart
A cozy Christmas bed time story that puts Catholic traditions front and center
Jesus Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Mark Restaino, Illustrations by J.P. Alcomendas
This delightful picture book lets young readers imagine the daily life of the Christ Child while also teaching simple prayers.
The Rose and the Snake by Mark Restaino, Illustrated by J.P. Alcemendas
This thought-provoking children’s tale is tailor made to improve reading comprehension and teach a child where real self-worth comes from.
Sister Aloysius Gets Ready for the First Day of School By Linda Etchison Illustrated by Denise Plumlee-Tadlock
Sister Aloysius leans on the Divine Mercy of Jesus as she gets ready for school.
God Made the Moonlight by Erin Broestl, Illustrated by Jean Schoonover-Egolf
A beautifully illustrated bedtime story that helps your child see the beauty of nature as God’s personal love letter to humanity
Feel-Good Books For Pandemic Summer
Book Therapy to chase the blues away
Zeal & Zest: Where to Begin with Hillaire Belloc
Belloc was known as a Catholic polemicist with a vicious talent for skewering his opponents. Anyone struggling to persevere as a Christian in the fields of journalism or media should read him. His children’s books have an acerbic humor that will appeal to bored veterans of political correctness, especially teens.
August & September New Book Releases
Step into Fall with a Good Book
Will You Come to Mass by Susan Joy Bellavance, Illustrations by Sara Tang
This book helps your kids get into the right mindset for Mass.
2021 Summer Reading List for Preteens
Six series that are a must-have for your Preteen’s library ages 8-13