“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” – 1 Peter 4:10
God has given all of us unique gifts. Realizing and sharing these gifts is not only our responsibility, but it’s something that should bring us great joy.
Catholic authors, business owners, and twin brothers Peter and Paul Reynolds understand the beauty of sharing their gifts to build a culture of life and make the world a better place, as it’s something they have exemplified throughout their lives and through the numerous projects they have undertaken, including their newest book, Our Treasures Within.
Our Treasures Within
According to Loyola Press, Our Treasures Within “shines a light on the special gifts within each of us and inspires us to share them with the world.”
The book opens with words that Pope Francis spoke to children in 2015:
In each one of you there is a chest, a box, and inside there’s a treasure. Your job is to open the chest and pull out the treasure, make it grow, give it to others, and receive the treasure of others. We all have a treasure inside of us. If we keep it closed, it stays closed; if we share it with others, the treasure multiplies with the treasures that come from others.
What I want to tell you is: do not hide the treasure which each one of you has.
Throughout the pages of this colorful book, young children will hear about some of the gifts that people have, from singing, to art, to writing, to “deep listening”—which is “truly hearing others, understanding them—making them feel seen.” They will also see that “the gift of kindness is in there too—waiting to be put into action.”
The book then explains that the greatest gift is the gift of love. And it asks, “What do we do with our gifts?”
With ebullient text and illustrations, it exclaims, “We share them!”
And, as we all know, when we share our gifts, they grow. As the book says, “The more we give, the more the world fills with light.”
It then asks kids to reflect on what their gifts are and how they will share them so they can fill their own world with light. This beautiful book lays a foundation for young children to build a culture of life where they are thinking of other people, not just themselves.
Paul shared, “The invitation [of the book] is to live beyond yourself. If you have your gifts and you keep them to yourself, you’re not having an impact.” He continued, “The obligation really is that those gifts that you’re given is in service to other people.”
Peter explained that we all “have an obligation to go and use those gifts to have a positive impact in the world.”
The brothers hope the book encourages kids to realize that “there’s a world outside of their bubble.” And they want kids to think, “There are other human beings around me, and they actually need what I’ve got—a conversation, attention, kindness, help.”
Our Treasures Within is a phenomenal way to help kids see that not only are they valuable but that what they have to offer others is also valuable. This is a lesson that Peter and Paul have taught others and have lived since they were children, and it all started with family, friends, and even strangers sharing their own gifts with these two young boys.
Collaborating twins
God blessed Peter and Paul with loving parents who raised them in a Catholic family and who always encouraged them to share their gifts with others. From filling homemade bookshelves with meaningful books, to teaching the boys to give back to others within their community, to printing multiple copies of their first homemade newspaper so they could share it with others, Peter and Paul’s parents have always prioritized nurturing their gifts.
When the twins were just 11, they met a young convert to Catholicism who comforted them when they became distressed after being dropped off at their first weeklong Boy Scout camp. This young chaplain was studying to become a Jesuit priest and later became a monk. The three became fast friends and would maintain that friendship throughout their lives.
John Bonowitz, OSCO, or Brother John, as they called him, opened the boys’ eyes and hearts to a world of Jesuit teaching, love, and compassion for those around them, and they proudly dedicated Our Treasures Within to him. Brother John, who passed away in early 2025, spent holidays with the Reynolds family, and through discussions with him and others within the Jesuit community, the twins grew to understand the importance of living their faith so they could make an impact on their community.
Fast-forward several years. Always nurturing each other’s talents, Peter and Paul began professionally writing and illustrating children’s books and creating short films. They started a company called FableVision Studios, which “designs and develops a wide array of engaging media that inspires, teaches, and moves people to action.” They explained that, when they launched the company, it was mission driven with the tagline “stories that matter, stories that move” because they wanted to “move people to think and act differently, in better ways.”
And over the past 30 years, they have stayed faithful to that mission.
Peter even shares that message with college students, as he teaches communications, digital storytelling, and production methods at Boston College. He explained that FableVision is a perfect example to students of how they can use their gifts for “positive, purposeful practice.” He said that he tells young people, “There are people out there who can use storytelling in not so productive ways. We want you to harness the power for good” and “stay firm in your values.”
The impact that Peter and Paul Reynolds have had is immeasurable. Through their books, through FableVision, through the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity—which “equips students, educators, and communities with creative STEAM and storytelling tools and experiences that foster innovation, empathy, and positive social impact”—and through their Blue Bunny Bookstore, the brothers are the epitome of living and sharing their gifts so they can make the world a better place.
Paul explained that through all of their endeavors they are “doing the Lord’s work,” and they are extremely excited to have collaborated on Our Treasures Within in the hopes that young children will not only recognize their own gifts but come to understand the importance of sharing them so they can go and fill the world with the light of Christ.
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