Title: Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten (The Princess Parables)
Authors: Jeanna Young, Jacqueline Kinney Johnson
Illustrator: Omar Aranda
Summary: In Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten, Princess Grace promises her father she will care for the kittens she found in the castle. But Poppy, the curious one, runs away. Princess Grace must find him, even if it means searching the entire kingdom . . . including the scary Black Woods. Along the way, she and her sisters remember a parable Jesus told about God’s great love for us and how he too searches for each one who is lost.
Based on the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:12-14
Title: Princess Charity’s Courageous Heart (The Princess Parables)
Authors: Jeanna Young, Jacqueline Kinney Johnson
Illustrator: Omar Aranda
Summary: Princess Charity’s Courageous Heart tells the story of a courageous but impulsive princess. Charity does not understand why she and her sisters are not allowed to go near Monument Hill and Sir Richard’s land. So while out riding her horse Daisy she sees a young boy get thrown from his horse and doesn’t know what to do, since she is very near the forbidden borderland. Charity wants to help him but knows that her father, the king, will be so upset with her. As she watches people ride by the hurt boy, ignoring him, she makes a brave decision to ride to him and help! Charity brings the young stranger back to the castle to nurse him back to health and soon learns the true meaning of charity and mercy.
Based on the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37
Title: Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessing (The Princess Parables)
Authors: Jeanna Young, Jacqueline Kinney Johnson
Illustrator: Omar Aranda
Summary: In Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessing, Princess Joy loves celebrating her birthday! But when no one accepts the princesses’ invitation to their sister Joy’s surprise birthday party, she finds out and is sad. But her father, the king, helps her understand that there are more ways to celebrate a special day and much better gifts to get than ones wrapped in pretty paper and bows, so Joy comes up with a new and very special party plan. She invites some very special guests to help her celebrate and turns it into a party for everyone, not just her own birthday!
Based on the Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14:15-23
Title: Princess Hope and The Hidden Treasure (Princess Parables)
Authors: Jeanna Young, Jacqueline Kinney Johnson
Illustrator: Omar Aranda
Summary: In Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure Princess Hope and her sisters are on a shopping trip in the kingdom. They come across a small box with a ring in it and realize it once belonged to their grandmother. The princesses cannot afford the ring, but Hope plans a “courtyard sale” and it is a success! Once she has sold everything, she is astonished to learn what all she has sacrificed everything for! Through a series of clues that take the princesses through the castle on a treasure hunt, Hope realizes there is more to treasure than just things—including God’s greatest gift of his Son.
Based on the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl in Matthew 13:44-45.
Title: Princess Faith’s Mysterious Garden
Authors: Jeanna Young, Jacqueline Kinney Johnson
Illustrator: Omar Aranda
Summary: Princess Faith’s Mysterious Garden tells the story of Princess Faith and her desire to plant a beautiful garden at the castle. When she discovers a hidden garden in the castle walls, Faith wastes no time asking her father, the king, is she and her sisters can plant flowers there. She and her sister get great pleasure in sowing, watering, and watching the seeds grow. But the princesses and Faith find out that things are not as easy and simple as they thought when some incidents occur that cause the garden to stop flourishing! Faith must discover for herself how her garden grows best, and she also learns about her own heart.
Based on The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-23.
My thoughts: The Princess Parables are the perfect books for your young daughters who love princesses! This series has fives sister: Grace, Faith, Hope, Joy, and Charity. Each princess is the main character in a story that retells a parable of Jesus using the princesses.
My daughters were 4, 3, and 1 when I found these books at the Christian bookstore. As I read the hard back versions, I loved it, but I knew the vocabulary would be too rich for my young girls. So, I opted for the “I Can Read” versions of these books, all five of them. My girls still regularly pull them off the shelf to read (7, 6, and 4). The illustrations are beautiful and engaging while the stories reflect godly character. Win/win for any mom of girls!
Parent tip: Read the actual parable with your girls and talk about how the stories are similar. They will need you to make that connection with them, otherwise, this is just another princess book on the shelf. The original hard back version ends with pointing the girls to the Bible stories, but the easy read version does not.