St. Joseph the Worker 
Feast Day: May 1​

St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, seems not to have been a man of many words. Nothing he said has been recorded in Scripture—instead he speaks through his actions, taking Our Lady into his home after seeing a vision of an angel, fleeing with his family to Egypt, and no doubt taking care of his family in the everyday tasks of daily life. 

St Joseph worked as a carpenter, and is therefore a model for all who do manual labor (or any labor!) His silent work for his family reminds us of the value of hard work and perseverance, and his role as the father of Jesus reminds us of how much of his life must have been filled with joy, hope, and wonder. Like Our Lady, he is no doubt a model for all the virtues featured in the Core Virtues cycle, but it is particularly fitting to remember him in May, the month of his feast day and the month that honors his blessed spouse. Below we feature a few of the best books available to introduce children to this humble saint. 

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Good Saint Joseph. Reverend Lawrence G. Lovasik. Catholic Book Publishing, 1978. (K-1)
From a classic series of books on the Catholic faith from Reverend Lawrence Lovasik, this book teaches the life of St. Joseph in simple language. A biography that also includes a prayer to St. Joseph. Accompanied by richly colorful illustrations. 

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Mary and Joseph: Models of Faith and Love. Barbara Yoffie. Illustrated by Katherine Borgatti. Liguori Publications, 2013. (K-1)
From the Saints and Me! series and written by Barbara Yoffie, who has written other lovely biographies featured on our site, this book highlights the lives of Mary and Joseph. A glimpse into the life of the Holy Family with whimsical illustrations sure to entertain a younger child. 

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Joseph's Heart: A Story of Adoption. Mary Clare Evans. Dog Ear Publishing, 2013. (K-3)
Written by an adoptive mother, this book tells the Nativity story through the eyes of St. Joseph and emphasizes St. Joseph's character as the foster father of Jesus. Will inspire all kids, but especially those who arrived in their family through adoption: "Joseph knew in that moment his son, although not born of his body, was now born in his heart." Accompanied by the author's own lovely watercolor illustrations. 

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Saint Joseph: The Foster-Father Saint​. Maria Riley. Illustrated by Emily Mae. Rooted River Press, 2022. (2-4)
This book, told from the perspective of Joshua, a seven-year-old foster child, is the story of an encounter with St. Joseph that teaches Joshua about the beauty of adoption. A fun way to learn about the life of St. Joseph while in the thrall of a story that will entertain older kids. An early-reader chapter book, but would work as a read-aloud as well. If kids enjoy this book, there are two more in the series telling the story of Joshua and his new siblings meeting St. Therese and St. John Bosco as well!

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Saint Joseph: Watch Over My Family. Sabine Du Mesnil. Magnificat-Ignatius Press, 2021. (2-5) 
A devotional book, this selection from Magnificat-Ignatius Press in honor of the year of St. Joseph is a great start for kids looking to get to know St. Joseph better through Scripture stories, prayers, and reflections. The inclusion of prayers and stories of miracles attributed to St. Joseph makes this most appropriate for theology class or a devotional moment within the school day (or, as the title suggests, within a Catholic family!)

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Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Our Lady)
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The month of May has been dedicated to Mary since the 13th century.  No one could be a better exemplify our May virtues of hope and joy than Our Lady, the composer of the Magnificat and the bearer of the greatest hope the world has ever known. May, full of the warmth and joys of spring, is also the perfect month for introducing children to Mary's gentleness and love for them.

The books below are introductions to Mary for younger and older children, but they are, of course, just scratching the surface. 

Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Tomie dePaola. Magnificat-Ignatius, 2020. (K-2)
Fifteen stories from Mary's life, accompanied by Tomie dePaola's signature winsome illustrations.

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Tomie dePaola. The Clown of God.
Simon & Schuster, 2018. (K-4) Hope
Orphan Giovanni searches for his talents and finds that he is good at juggling. He joins a wandering troupe and perfects an act that has a spectacular finale. But in time, no one is interested in watching Giovanni juggle: he is old news. One Christmas morning he wanders into a church and finds that he still has a gift to give the Christ child and that someone still finds joy in his work. The beautiful depiction of the Christ Child with his mother Mary makes this a Marian meditation, as well. ​

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Our Lady's Wardrobe. Anthony DeStefano. Illustrated by Juliana Kolesova. Sophia Institute Press, 2020. (K-4)​
Our Lady may not have had many beautiful clothes on earth, but in Heaven, she seems to have a beautiful wardrobe. This book explores the beautiful wardrobe of Mary's appearances on earth with realistic photo-style illustrations.

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Mary, Mother of All. Scott Hahn and Emily Stimpson Chapman. Illustrated by Tricia Dugat. Emmaus Road Publishing, 2023. (K-4)
A theological book about Mary's role in salvation with poetry by Emily Stimpson Chapman and beautiful illustrations.

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Mary, Mother of Jesus. By Mary Joslin. Loyola Press, 1999. (K-4)
Mary looks back on her long life, telling her first-person story to surrounding children in this gorgeously-illustrated and peaceful book.

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