No name

Catholic Children's Treasure Box Books 1-6, story of St. Therese

Publisher: 
TAN Books and Publishers
Subject(s): 
Saint Stories
Setting: 
19th century
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Grades K-2
Review: 
A multi-part story of St. Therese's life is told in these six books with lovely colorful illustrations. This version would be especially appealing to three to six year old children. The story includes quite a few interesting details focusing on Therese's acts of sacrifices and offerings to God of everything she did - both those things that were hard for her to do (such as giving some flowers that she had just picked to her grandmother to use at the altar) to those things that she enjoyed doing. Also included are instructions for making the St. Therese Sacrifice Beads (to count the little acts and sacrifices one makes during a day - after beads are pushed to one side they stay in place even when carried around in a pocket). Our family liked these stories best of all the stories in the Treasure Box Books

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
9-24-2000

Catholic Children's Treasure Box, Volumes 7 and 8

Book cover: 'Catholic Children's Treasure Box 7'
Author(s): 
Maryknoll Sisters
Binding: 
Stapled Softcover
Subject(s): 
The Blessed Mother
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Grades K-2
Review: 

These two volumes of the Treasure Box Books contain a very simple story of Mary's life, appropriate for very young children. The full-color illustrations are quite charming. Please note that this story has the marriage of Mary and Joseph come before the Annunciation, which is not in accordance with the actual Bible account. Perhaps the authors felt that very young children weren't ready to understand this part of the story.

Update from webmaster, March 2024: Bible scholars tell us that what is often translated as "betrothal" was really the first part of a two-part Jewish wedding rather than an engagement; in the time of Christ, these two parts were celebrated on separate dates separated by as much as a year. However, the couple was legally married after this first ceremony although they would not live together until after the second. This is why Matthew 1:18-19 reports that when St. Joseph discovers that Mary (his "betrothed") is with child, "her husband Joseph" resolves to divorce her (or send her away) quietly — husband and divorce, because they are legally married. See this article for more details and some profound implications for familiar Gospel passages: No, Mary Was Not an "Unwed Mother." Thus, the Treasure Box account is (perhaps unintentionally!) rather accurate on this point.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Catholic Education: Homeward Bound

Book cover: 'Catholic Education: Homeward Bound'
Author(s): 
Kimberly Hahn
Mary Hasson
Number of pages: 
400 pages
Copyright: 
1996
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Books about Homeschooling
Review: 

I know a number of people who decided to homeschool based on the information provided in this book. The authors have done a very impressive job of outlining the positive benefits of homeschooling, in a non-threatening fashion. Because many of the reasons they give for homeschooling focus on practical and "natural law" reasoning they can be easier for some people to handle than arguments that focus on Church teaching (after all, you have to start somewhere =). The authors cover the benefits of having your children at home with you, concerns about the academic aspects of homeschooling, socialization, the role of the father, and spiritual advice for busy mothers. I was especially impressed with the nearly forty pages devoted to homeschooling highschoolers. Unlike other books which seem to treat all teens as rebels (which I have found disappointing as a former homeschooled-teen), Mrs. Hahn and Mrs. Hasson discuss ideas for making the most of the high school years through homeschooling. Also included in the teen section is a lot of information about homeschoolers preparing for and getting accepted into college.

Quibble:

Remember that you shouldn't treat any of the Catholic homeschool books as a perfect and complete guide. (This is why I recommend reading a number of them for the sake of balance.) This book has a bias toward putting together your own program and doesn't portray the benefits of using a structured program particularly well.

The resources section in this book is extensive, but is certainly not its strong point. Several of the resources used by the two authors are considered problematic by some Catholic homeschoolers. In terms of the lifespan of the Catholic Homeschool movement, this book is already quite old (published in 1996). We should be grateful that there are many more excellent choices, in terms of programs, books and other materials, for Catholic homeschoolers today than just a few years ago.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
5/9/00

Catholic Geography Bee

Book cover: 'Catholic Geography Bee'
Author(s): 
Kerry and Nancy MacArthur
Copyright: 
2001
Publisher: 
Catholic Heritage Curricula
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
History
Geography
Setting: 
United States
Review: 
This new two-book set on United States Geography provides everything you need for a homeschool Geography Bee or an interesting U.S. Geography supplement for a wide age range.

The Participant/Student Book (softcover - stapled), is a study book for learning facts and figures in preparation for a Geography Bee. Three summary charts provide a quick reference on Name Derivations, Famous Natives, Mottos , Landmarks, Catholic Facts, Historical Facts, Industry, Admission Dates, Capitals, Flowers, Birds, Nicknames and Trees for each state. The bulk of the text consists of Study Sheets on: Capitals, State Flowers, State Birds, Nicknames, State Trees, Famous Natives, Landmarks, Catholic Facts, Historical Facts, Name Derivations, Mottos and Industry. In addition to a simple chart for each category, the Study Sheets provide a "To Learn More" segment which provides detailed information about each item. For example, the State Flower section includes a description of each type of flower and the Famous Natives section provides a brief biography of a famous native from each state as well as an extensive list of other famous natives. Of special interest is the "State Catholic Fact" section which provides Catholic connections for each State and which should provide a starting point for studying more about Catholic influences in the United States. The last half of the book offers various worksheets and other masters to photocopy - State Profile (can be used to record or test information for each state), State Flowers to color and learn, State Birds to color and learn, simple outline maps of each state, and a full outline map of the whole United States. Also are included are a partial listing of Catholic-named Cities of the U.S., a Bibliography, Sources for Further Study and Internet Sites for Further Study.

The Coordinator/Parent Book offers master category cards and a certificate of honor to copy and color for an official-looking Geography Bee, a spreadsheet of basic facts, and extensive sets of questions on three different difficulty levels for each category of study in the Participant Book (State Capital, State Flower, State Bird, State Nickname, State Tree, State Landmark, Famous Natives, and State Catholic Fact). The third difficulty level also offers questions regarding State Historical Facts. Because questions for each category are listed separately (rather than being intermixed), families could choose to focus on just a few category or difficulty levels at a time if they wish. Each question in this book provides the answer directly after the question in boldface type for ease of use.

I'm very, very impressed with the scope and quality of this Geography program. In the past, Catholic Homeschoolers have had limited resources available for State History and Geography (particularly from a Catholic perspective). These materials provide a welcome solution to this need as well as a wonderful project to be undertaken by a Catholic homeschool group or just a few families getting together. Highly recommended.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 
Two book set - Coordinator/Parent Book - 103 pages Participant/Student Book - 105 pages
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
11-30-01

Catholic Home Schooling

Book cover: 'Catholic Homeschooling'
Author(s): 
Mary Kay Clark
Number of pages: 
448 pages
Copyright: 
1998
Publisher: 
TAN Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Books about Homeschooling
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Review: 

Note: This review is based on the 1993/1998 editions of this book. The book was rewritten in 2006 and that edition has not yet been reviewed. Mary Kay Clark, who is the director of Seton Home Study has recently revised what was the first book published on Cathholic Homeschooling. It has quite a different flavor from Catholic Education: Homeward Bound and make a strong case for homeschooling from the perspective of Catholic teaching and Church documents. The author includes many practical ideas for running a busy household while homeschooling and finding creative ways of making a structured homeschool program flexible enough for your needs. Chapters include "How to Begin Catholic Home Schooling", "Home Schooling in the Large Family", "The Sacramental Life" and special chapters by other authors on topics such as "The Father's Role in Homeschooling", "Home Management in the Catholic Home Schooling Family" and "Home Schooling the Catholic LD Child." I particularly enjoyed the stories of the author's own homeschooling experiences with her seven boys and her practical ideas of making homeschooling work in the here and now by not expecting to be able to do everything perfectly (e.g. using paper plates and clearing out a lot of unnecessary clutter in the house).

Catholic Homeschooling fills and has filled an important role in the homeschool movement (particularly because it was simply the first book published on Catholic homeschooling) but, like all "advice" on homeschooling (including this website), should be used insofar as it is helpful to your family's needs rather than solely dictate how your family does everything (this, I believe, would be keeping with the author's intentions, particularly as she explains the role of Seton Home Study).

Out-of-date material:
"The only other comprehensive home study program for children which has accreditation is Home Study International, which is run by Seventh-Day Adventists." (p. 103) A number of Catholic homeschool programs as well as Protestant ones are now accredited if that's an important issue to you.

"If you want Catholic textbooks, you need to enroll in a Catholic home study school." (p. 100) This seems rather shockingly out-of-date even for the revision date of 1998. Many Catholic textbooks have been available from numerous sources (including TAN, Neumann Press, Seton Educational Media, Catholic Heritage Curricula, Emmanuel Books, Kolbe Academy, etc.) for a number of years without being enrolled in any school at all.

Quibble:

You'll have to keep in mind that this book is biased toward using a structured homeschool program (and the Seton Home Study program in particular) and doesn't portray the concept of "putting together your own program" particularly well. The computer section is significantly outdated and not particularly useful - for example, it discussescomputer bulletin boards rather than the Internet, and was clearly not revised in the 1998 edition. A few of the parenting ideas that are discussed might be viewed negatively by those of us practicing an "attachment parenting" philosophy. Also I know a number of very good Catholics who were turned off by the authors rather "authoritative" tone and were unwilling to even finish the book. I'm not highly enthusiastic about every resource mentioned in the appendix (although most are great!) but Dr. Clark does recommend one publication that I have serious problems with - Catholic Family News.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
6-11-03

Catholic Math Activities

Book cover: 'Catholic Math Activities'
Author(s): 
Mary Ann Grobbel
Number of pages: 
102 pages
Copyright: 
1999
Publisher: 
Catholic Heritage Curricula
Binding: 
Stapled Softcover
Sample Pages
Subject(s): 
Math
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Supplement
Review: 

If you're looking for a way to liven up your math program or to bring in some painless math review you have to pick up this book. Catholic Math Activities provides dozens of math games that children actually enjoy playing and almost all of them only require dice and simple home-made material. The author makes use of children's interests by revolving the games around things such as baseball cards and animals. What really pleased me about this program is the clever way our Catholic faith was brought into these games. Some of the games revolve around a short story involving our faith, bible stories (e.g. Noah's Ark and 2 by 2) and simple Catholic sayings to name a few.

I was especially delighted that this book provides games for such a wide range of ages and with a text that is simple enough that an older sibling can read the instructions and then go on to play the game with the younger child. Topping off the program are 40 nicely hand-drawn illustrations of saints. Each saint is accompanied with a short biography and math problems which, when solved, give the child information as to how the picture should be colored. This is definitely a new twist on color by number and one that my children have enjoyed.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Andrea Chen
First reviewed: 
3-9-01

Catholic Prayer Book for Children

Book cover: Catholic Prayer Book for Children
Author(s): 
Julianne M. Will
Number of pages: 
64 pages
Copyright: 
2004
ISBN: 
9781592760473
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
First Communion
Review: 

This is a very nice children's prayer book illustrated with full-color cartoon-like pictures. The book includes:

  • Traditional prayers like the Hail Mary, Our Father and Morning Offering
  • Prayers of the Saints, like Prayer of Saint Francis and Breastplate of St. Patrick
  • Prayers and Mysteries of the Rosary (including the Luminous mysteries)
  • Psalms from the Bible
  • Some special prayers written just for children
  • Gentle invitations for children to talk to God in their own words too.
  • A segment on "Going to Confession" which includes instructions as well as prayers
  • "Stuff Every Catholic Kid Should Know" like Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy and the Ten Commandments
  • "Prayers from the Mass"
I was pleased to see that the Scripture Citations are from the Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition (the best modern translation of the Bible). This book is particularly well-suited for a First Communion or Birthday gift for a godchild or for parishes or Catholic organizations to give as gifts to First Communicants. It would be nice to put such an attractive and substantial booklet in the hands of every child (so many Catholic children grow up without understanding many of the basics covered by this book). The publisher has made this more feasible by offering it in softcover at such a reasonable price of under four dollars!
Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Also available in softcover

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
5-12-04

Catholic Saints Prayer Book

Moments of Inspiration from Your Favorite Saints
Author(s): 
Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
Number of pages: 
80 pages
Copyright: 
2008
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Saints
Review: 
Catholic Saints Prayer Book is a small format, handsomely bound in sewn hardcover and printed in high quality, decorated paper. This little treasure will make a great gift any time of the year. Thirty-two saints, from Saint Anne to Saint Thomas More, are described, quoted and invoked in intercessory prayer. The traditional illustrations complement the beauty of this little book. The text reflects the teachings of the Catholic Church and our rich traditions! The prayers are write in colloquial style and yet still reverent and respectful.
Reviewed by: 
Ana Braga-Henebry
First reviewed: 
9-28-2008

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