People liked to hear Saint Francis preach. He was kind, cheerful and always smiled. He preached about peace and forgiveness. People liked his simple life. His little group of followers preached and helped sick and poor people. Do we respect the earth and all creation? How can we make our world a better place? In the new series of early reader books, Saints and Me! , the real stories of saints come to life and connect with today’s children, ages 4 to 9. Lively, full-color illustrations on every page match the text, aiding emerging readers with the text and story sequence. Each biography is themed with virtues that the saint models for young children. A companion activity book for the set offers coloring pages, simple word searches featuring words from the texts, and other activities. Barbara Yoffie has been in Catholic education for forty-nine years. Yoffie has a master’s degree in religious education administration from Loyola University in New Orleans, a bachelor’s degree in art education, and a certificate of religious studies from Paul VI Institute in St. Louis. Her passion for teaching children about the saints is evident in her Saints and Me! series. Katherine Alpha Borgatti is an artist and illustrator native to Louisiana. She is a convert to the Catholic faith and has a passion for Catholic art. Her works include portraits of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus and various Saints. Katherine resides in Mandeville, Louisiana with her husband Mike and their three children, Matthew, Annamarie and John.