Saint Gianna Beretta Molla-The Gift of Life

I have been interested in the life of St. Gianna Beretta Molla ever since the day a woman I'd never met before placed one of her 3rd class relics-a holy card that had been touched to a pair of St. Gianna's gloves- in my hands after Mass many years ago.  At the time, we either were expecting our 6th child or she was a very new baby. The woman handing the holy card to me said that I reminded her in some way of this saint and she felt called to pass the card onto me. 

After having two more babies, both born prematurely for no apparent reason, I spent most of my 9th pregnancy with that holy card propped up in front of my computer monitor so that I would be reminded to pray to St. Gianna for a healthy pregnancy and baby.  Our 9th child did stay put long enough to make it to term which was a tremendous relief to me.  Shortly after her birth, I passed the holy card on to another mother who was dealing with a less-than-perfect pregnancy.

With that in mind, when I was given the chance to read a children's book about St. Gianna, I was rather excited.  I much prefer to learn about saints from children's books at first.  They often are a tad more interesting than adult oriented books and can help you to easily explain the lives of the saints to your kids.  Saint Gianna Beretta Molla-The Gift of Life is part of the Encounter the Saints series published by Pauline Media.  These relatively short chapter books are perfect for children in the 3rd to 6th grade age bracket.

Saint Gianna's book focuses on her family life, including her life as a child.  It shows the role her parents and siblings played in shaping her personality.  It does also teach in a gentle way about the choice St. Gianna made in preserving the life of her last baby even knowing it would place her own life at risk. The story of her death and it's impact on her community was shown in a caring way which will not leave the gentlest readers afraid.

Even as an adult, I learned quite a bit about the life of St. Gianna from this book.  I learned she and my oldest daughter share a birthday and that she was the 10th child born to a large family.  This book shares the story of a beautiful mother in a way that will touch the hearts of young children.  I plan to share this book with my elementary kids as soon as we finish our current read-aloud book.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Saint Gianna Beretta Molla - The Gift of Life. They are also a great source for a baptism gifts or first communion gifts.