A Little Book of British Saints by Roy Peachey (Isaiah Books 2022: £14.99).

One of the first books I remember reading as a child was called Six O’Clock Saints. This early instigation into the lives of ordinary men and women raised to the rank of the canonised sparked an interest in the saints, still with me, that possibly led to my vocation as a monk and priest in the Catholic Church. Children need inspiration to grow in holiness and faith. The words of Emeritus Pope Benedict, spoken at Saint Mary’s University College, Twickenham on the 17 of September 2010 to all the pupils of the Catholic Schools of England, Wales and Scotland are still so inspiring and relevant today as when they were spoken twelve years ago What God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become holy. He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine, and He wants the very best for you. And by far the best thing for you is to grow in holiness and to become saints of the twenty-first century. This wonderful book by Roy Peachey and beautifully illustrated by Michelle Pitt is just the sort of book that young people will appreciate and value the example of saints as diverse as Saints Patrick, Margaret Clitherow, Cuthbert and Hilda to encourage them to live a life close to God so that as Pope Benedict wisely said they may increase in love, kindness and gentleness like the saints of old so they can be a model of holiness today.