Cheerful Chats for Catholic Children by Leane VanderPutten

As my kids were growing up, and life became hectic, I had to really struggle to get in some good, positive`time with them that would be sweet and potent at the same time.

I was so tired at night, I just wanted to get them to bed and fall into bed exhausted myself….and that is what I did many times.

But it always tugged at me to spend a little time with them before bed, send them off to dreamland with a positive moment with Mom while at the same time planting some sweet thoughts about Jesus, Mary, the Saints and Holy Mother Church.

Along the way, I ran across a Protestant book that had short stories for the children, stories about virtues and faith, with questions and a prayer following. I felt like I had found something special….and I used it for many years. I would change some of the wording, making the story more Catholic, or I would leave out the stories that weren’t as generic and didn’t conform to a true Catholic way of looking at things.

I often yearned for a book like this that would be Catholic…….

So that is what this book is….And here is the description as posted on Amazon:

“This is a unique book of Catholic devotions for young children. There is nothing routine and formal about these stories. They are interesting, full of warmth and dipped right out of life.

These anecdotes will help children know about God, as each one unfolds a truth about the saints, the Church, the virtues, etc. These are short faith-filled stories, with a few questions and a prayer following each one, enabling the moral of each story to sink into the minds of your little ones.

The stories are only a page long so tired mothers, who still want to give that “tucking in” time a special touch, or pause a brief moment during their busy day to gather her children around her, can feel good about bringing the realities of our faith to the minds of her children in a childlike, (though not childish), way.

There is a small poem and a picture at the end of each story.

Through these small stories, parents will sow seeds of our Holy Catholic Faith that will enrich their families all the years to come!”

You can purchase the book here at Amazon. Here is the kindle edition.

Our children are not born with infused knowledge about God and our Faith. It is up to us, as parents, no matter how tired we are! Let’s use the helps He gives us!!

Reviews on Amazon:

“I’ve long been wanting a book on various virtues to help my children become better Catholics. But most books focused on the virtues make being bad seem funny or attractive in order to teach the child a lesson. I’ve always found them to be detrimental to the younger ones who’s logic hasn’t formed. This book does an awesome job in showing a GOOD example in each of the children with all the various struggles children commonly struggle with (lying, hiding things, being grumpy, you name it.) But this book isn’t JUST virtue training… it’s also just sweet little chats about our love for God, God’s greatness, etc…

And the best thing of all? They are SHORT! I have lots of books that are wonderful, but to be honest I rarely pick them up because I just don’t have the time to read a huge, long story. These are super short, just one page, and very to the point. The second page has a poem, picture, a short prayer and a few questions for the kids to get them thinking. It works really, really well right before our bedtime prayers and only takes a few minutes at most.

If you like “Leading the Little ones to Mary” then you will like these… they are a little more focused on ALL age groups, not just little ones… so are perfect for a family activity even through the teenage years, down to your toddler.”

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Love it, love it, love it! A grace filled book that gives young children a faith perspective, more of a God’s eye view if you will, of daily events. All the ups and downs of life are considered in relation to Christ and his Blessed Mother. My own grandchildren love hearing these tales every night. The stories give them hope, security and understanding. My own hope is that this author write many, many more books!

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“I just bought this book about a week ago, and I already love it! The stories are well-written, clear, and childlike without being “dumbed-down.” My kids range in age from 10 to 5, and they each really appreciate the stories. I like that there is a good selection of discussion questions, some of which are open-ended, and some of which are review. Perfect item for this busy homeschool mama!”

Oh….one more thing! If you like the book, would you be so kind as to leave a review on Amazon ? 🙂 Thank you kindly!