The Just Love Story Bible
By Jacqui Lewis and Shannon Daley-Harris (Beaming Books, 2025)
I have been on a hunt for a good children’s Bible ever since I became a parent. I’d like to think that my expectations aren’t that high: a story Bible that doesn’t use gendered language for God, that has beautiful art with a diversity of skin colors, with no problematic messages about gender roles or atonement theology.
This is why I was so excited to learn about The Just Love Story Bible, one of a recent spate of children’s Bibles attempting to accomplish just that. Written by minister and public theologian Jacqui Lewis along with Shannon Daley-Harris, the associate dean of Auburn Theological Seminary, this story Bible inspires even the smallest children to ask questions about their faith and how to act in the world rather than presenting them with pat answers.
This children’s Bible contains 53 stories from both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, all accompanied by gorgeous illustrations by Cheryl “Ras” Thuesday. “We hope [this book] will inspire your imagination,” writes Lewis in the introduction. “We hope you will imagine how deep and wide God’s love is for all of us.”
Each of the stories shows children how to live in community with one another, to work for justice, to care for the Earth and other people, and to love God. It invites them to ask questions about why they are here, what they believe, and who they are. They demonstrate a faith that I am proud and excited to pass on to my children. If I have any quibbles with the text, it is that sometimes storytelling takes a backseat to these wonderings, and at times the quotes from other translations of the Bible make it a harder read for younger children. This would, perhaps, be a lovely accompaniment to another, more narrative story Bible, or even to any adult who is familiar with the stories already yet seeking to understand how scripture is calling us to act in the world.
—Emily Sanna
Brigid’s Mantle
By Nancy Fitzgerald (Paulist Press, 2025)
Brigid’s Mantle details Nancy Fitzgerald’s journeys throughout Ireland, where she encounters St. Brigid in creation and communities. She travels to holy wells and other sites dedicated to Brigid and speaks to local community members to learn more about their devotional practices and commitments. Each chapter recounts meaningful and mirthful conversations she shares with people whose love for Brigid reflects their understanding of community and God’s creation.
Fitzgerald’s journey engages oral history, scholarly citation, anthropological data, and site visits, which together produce a portrait of Brigid that extends beyond the tidy, sanitized boundaries set by the institutional church. As Fitzgerald observes, understanding Brigid requires that we understand Irish Christianity and its historical roots, which are entangled in the island’s pagan predecessors. Before Christianity arrived on the island, the Irish heralded Brigid as the triple goddess of healing. When Christians arrived, the triple goddess was replaced by the Holy Trinity, yet symbols associated with the goddess Brigid (milk, fire, serpents) reappear in stories of Brigid the Christian saint.
Throughout the book, Fitzgerald illustrates the syncretic ebb and flow of Irish Christianity through the cult of Brigid. What remains constant throughout Ireland’s changes is Brigid’s character. She is a peacemaker, resolving disputes among community leaders, and a bridge-builder, reshaping Irish consciousness to connect the old culture and new faith.
In this bite-sized yet mighty book, Fitzgerald reveals Brigid as a woman of many hats—and perhaps even a mitre—whose life expands our understanding of women’s roles in the church, while modeling how to endure in times of trial.
—Céire Kealty
Briefly noted:
Jubilee Economics
By Kelley Nikondeha (Orbis Books)
Providing a new perspective on the Jubilee Year, Nikondeha explores the history of debt cancellation, gives insight to the jubilee canon in scripture, and roots the world of economics in our personal lives.
Turning Toward Grief
By James Crews (Broadleaf)
Making poetry more approachable, Crews provides reflections alongside this anthology of popular poems to help those moving through the process of grieving.
Praying with the Psalms
By Emily Mae Mentock (Ave Maria Press)
Offering a daily accompaniment for Lent and the Holy Week, Mentock provides three-minute reflections on various psalms to guide readers through a sacred time of the year.
This article also appears in the November 2025 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 90, No. 11, page 39). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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