Each week, as we pray the Nicene Creed together at Sunday Mass, we declare our belief in the one God who made all things—visible and invisible. In the human person, the visible body and the invisible soul are intrinsically linked. What is good for one is good for the other and vice versa. Word on Fire Votive published two new books to help families better understand the goodness in all of God’s creation, seen and unseen alike.

Abigail Favale has written a brilliantly simple book, Here I Am, that addresses difficult, contentious and timely topics. While popular culture promotes the ideology that our bodies are not necessarily who we are, Here I Am refutes this idea in just a few pages that the smallest readers among us can understand. It begins by boldly affirming what our senses tell us to be true, “I am my body.”

There are two versions of the book: one illustrated with a boy as the protagonist and one with a girl, although they are identical in text. It deftly gives meaning to suffering (“Sometimes my body hurts. That shows me I need love.”) and reminds us of Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist (“Sometimes I hear the words: This is my Body.”). The role of the human body in our society and our salvation is undervalued at best and under attack at worst. So, consider this your toddler’s first lesson in Theology of the Body: “My body is me. Here I am.”

Cory Heimann’s Light of the Sacraments is also from Word on Fire Votive and is their second “shine the light” book, in which the pages reveal hidden pictures when illuminated by a flashlight—a clever and highly effective tactic for making the invisible visible. Although powerful tools in the lives of Christ’s disciples, the sacraments’ partially spiritual nature makes them feel distant and even inaccessible to children.

Thus, for each of the seven sacraments, Heimann shares a short rhyme containing the sacrament’s biblical context followed by a description of the modern-day celebration:

“Over our heads holy water is poured, Washing us clean with the grace of our Lord.

White garments show that God cleansed us of sin. Candles are lit and Christ shines deep within.”

When you shine a light through the back of each page, you see the hidden pictures: the Holy Spirit descending on the newly baptized, Jesus in the priest’s place in the confessional, Christ crucified in the Eucharist. Every page offers an encouraging reminder of the connection between Christ’s physical time on Earth 2,000 years ago and His continued presence in our daily lives. “What Christ did back then, He is doing today: Offering His love and imparting His grace, Longing to give us His holy embrace.”

Presenting the sacraments clearly and concisely, this book serves both as a joyful bedtime read and a quick reference book for my curious first grader wanting to understand the sacraments she witnesses through her family and friends.

As a parent, I can’t control all the information presented to my children—nor do I want to. But I do want to impart to them at least this basic truth: we are called to be Christ’s hands and feet. Allowing Christ to work through us requires both body and soul—both the visible and invisible. Books like Here I Am and Light of the Sacraments are valuable resources in teaching this invaluable lesson.

Margaret Swensen is the mother of four young children and the Director of Videography for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Abigail Favale, Here I Am. Word on Fire. $19.95. 22 pages. Cory Heimann, Light of the Sacraments. Word on Fire. $24.95. 68 pages.