The story of St. Thomas Aquinas is one full of moving and dramatic scenes: the flaming destruction of Monte Cassino Abbey, the reception into the Dominican order of the quiet, determined young Thomas, the breath-taking escape from the donjon tower, and the striking instances of the saint's eloquence and brilliance.

In this 26th volume of the acclaimed Vision Books series of saints lives, children from ages 9 to 15 will enjoy the exciting story of the man who wrote the masterful Summa Theologica, the advisor to popes who refused ecclesiastical honor, the simple friar who shook the medieval world with his intellect.

Illustrated by Kathy Holbrook

Here are yet more of "those human and lovable people whose mysterious passion for God led them into preposterous escapades." Story-teller Ethel Pochocki follows up her book Once Upon a Time Saints and presents another collection of wildly distinctive saints - from Hyacinth to Zita to Longinus to Kentigern - and readers will again be charmed by the vivid immediacy of their settings. We find out what very real people they were, these saints who lived and breathed in a wold as hard, as wet, as hot, as enticing and as changeful as our own. Yet their heroism is all their own. Ethel Pochocki leads us through their adventures, joys and sorrows to the truly happy ending each one gained.

It was the day before Christmas in a small Russian village. Alexi's babushka was telling him what Christmas was like when she was a girl - before the soldiers came. "Our church was as crowded as a pod full of peas. Candles made the church as bright as the sunniest day. Watching over us was the blessed icon of St. Nicholas." Alexi had many questions, including, "Why can't we celebrate Christmas tomorrow in St. Nicholas?" Babushka sadly replied that it would take a miracle after sixty years. Well, Alexi had heard enough. If there truly was such a thing as a miracle, why couldn't one happen here? And so unfolds a story which poignantly reveals how, though quiet and hidden, faith and hope can not be suppressed - by soldiers or by time. Beautifully illustrated with original four-color paintings on every page. A perfect Christmas present.

Children and parents alike will be delighted by these stories and illustrations about the famous Saint Benedict. Based on his biography by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and told by a Benedictine monk living today in Italy at the birthplace of Benedict, these stories and pictures are rich with interesting details.

The holiness of Benedict, his wisdom, his great impact on the world, and his miracles will intrigue and inspire everyone in the family. Also included are stories involving his twin sister, Saint Scholastica.

Mary Fabyan Windeatt presents the powerful story of the famous life and miracles of St. Benedict for the Vision Book series of saints for youth. Known as the Father of Western Monasticism, St. Benedict played a major role in the Christinization and civilization of post-Roman Europe in the sixth century.

Having lived in an era of great immorality and vice, Benedict founded an order for monks whose strong life of prayer and work helped convert the godless society around them. It tells how his Benedictine order of monks spread throughout Europe and the New World. The heroic life of his sister St. Scholastica, his saving a boy from drowning, raising one from the dead, and the story of poisoned wine are all told in this exciting, dramatic tale of a great saint. Illustrated.