No name

Holy Papers

Book cover: 'Holy Papers'
Number of pages: 
80 pages
Copyright: 
1997
Publisher: 
Catholic Heritage Curricula
Binding: 
Other
Subject(s): 
Handwriting
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

This booklet provides thirty-three pages of lined paper with beautiful Catholic pen and ink illustrations. The pages are intended for handwriting practice and may be photocopied for use within your own family. Following the lined pages are approximately forty pages of beautiful religious quotes - printed in both script and cursive - for practicing handwriting. Quotes are organized according to themes such as Adoration, Conscience, Eucharist and Obedience.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Binding details: paper pad binding

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
2-3-01

Home Educator's Lesson Planner

Number of pages: 
104 pages
Publisher: 
H.E.L.P. Press
Binding: 
Spiralbound
Subject(s): 
Lesson Planner
Review: 

Designed to keep track of one child's lesson plans for a year, this organizer has several features that would please both the structured homeschooler or those who prefer unit studies. This comb bound planner includes an attendance record as well as pages for expenses, projects and field trips, book lists, progress reports, grading, monthly overview and 70 lesson plan pages with two pages covering each of 35 weeks. The Home Educator's Lesson Planner is unique in that the lesson plan pages provide rows but not columns, allowing the parent to determine the number of columns based on subjects studied. Older students could also use this planner to track their assignments and performance.

Additional notes: 

This planner was donated for review by H.E.L.P. Press

Reviewed by: 
Andrea Chen
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Home in the Cave

Book Cover
Author(s): 
Janet Halfmann
Illustrator(s): 
Shennen Bersani
Number of pages: 
35 pages
Copyright: 
2012
Publisher: 
Sylvan Dell Publishing
Subject(s): 
Biology / Life Science
Grade / Age level: 
Grades K-2
Review: 
Baby Bat learns about the importance of guano to a cave's ecosystem in Janet Halfmann's new book "Home in the Cave." Children learn about bats and other creatures that live in caves through the exploration of Baby Bat and his pack rat friend. As with all Sylvan Dell books, the last pages contain more information and activities related to the story. Don't let the insects and guano deter you from this fun and informative book!
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Kris Correira
First reviewed: 
6-26-2012

Homer Price

Book cover: 'Homer Price'
Author(s): 
Robert McCloskey
Number of pages: 
149 pages
Copyright: 
1943
Publisher: 
Puffin Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Miscellaneous Fiction
Grade / Age level: 
All ages
Elementary
Review: 
These clever and humorous stories of the adventures of a brainy, problem-solving small-town boy make great reading for grade-schoolers (especially boys) or a terrific read-aloud. This is suitable for rolling-on-the-floor type laughing (not terribly well-suited to bedtime!). A real classic! The sequel, Centerberg Tales is just as good. Older children may also appreciate allusions to liberal naming of townspeople after characters from the Iliad.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
3-25-02

Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook

Book cover: 'Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook'
Author(s): 
Cafi Cohen
Number of pages: 
321 pages
Copyright: 
2000
Publisher: 
Prima Publishing
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
College Admission for Homeschoolers
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Review: 
This book provides loads of information regarding homeschool admissions to college. Although not written specifically for Catholics, the author did solicit survey responses from Catholics (the webmaster was one of the respondents and has several quotes in the book under the pseudonym "Alexa") and there is a great deal of valuable information for any homeschoolers applying for college. It will be especially helpful for those beginning the admissions process with some trepidation and those wanting to attend colleges that are not especially known to be homeschool friendly.

Mrs. Cohen provides a great deal of advice (from herself as well as parents and homeschool graduates have successfully gone through the admissions process) on shopping for colleges, the diploma question, portfolios, transcripts, essays (an important aspect of admissions for homeschool applicants), letters of recommendation, testing, and a chapter on how homeschoolers are doing in college.

Although it is important to seek out information from a Catholic perspective as well (particularly with regards to choosing a good college), this book will be very useful to homeschoolers eagerly, but nervously seeking to apply to the college of their choice.

Perspective: 
Christian
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1-30-01

How Do Bees Make Honey?

Book cover: How Do Bees Make Honey?
Author(s): 
Anna Claybourne
Number of pages: 
24 pages
Copyright: 
1994
ISBN: 
9780746017654
Publisher: 
Usborne
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Insects and Arthropods
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Kindergarten
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

A small, inexpensive book filled with pictures and lots of other information picture about bees and other insects. You'll learn how to tell bees apart from other insects, how bees live together in colonies and all about their beehives, how bees communicate with each other (my children have really enjoyed trying to re-enact the bee's dances) and of course how bees make honey. The one thing I didn't like is that the material is so disjointed because it jumps around between different kinds of insects.

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

How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear?

What are Homonyms and Homophones?
Author(s): 
Brian P. Cleary
Illustrator(s): 
Brian Gable
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Publisher: 
Millbrook Press
Subject(s): 
Grammar
Grade / Age level: 
Grades K-2
Grades 3-5
Resource Type: 
Supplement
Review: 
Do you know what homonyms and homophones are? If not, this book will certainly help you understand them. With clever writing and silly cartoon illustrations (and a somewhat obnoxious typeface), they give many clever and memorable examples of each. Here's a small sampling of text from each of the two segments:
Homonyms are words that sound and also look alike. But they have different meanings, as in "Can you pass that can, Mike?" Or "May I sail with you in May and coast along the coast?
and
Now, some words sound identical but are spelled in different way. These words are known as homophones. Like praise and preys and prays. Though homophones have matching sounds, their meanings aren't the same. And there isn't any question, they're as fun as any game.
The homonym and homophone pairs are highlighted in matching colors to make it easy to identify each set. On the whole, we found this book both entertaining and helpful.
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
6-27-2009

How the Reformation Happened

Book cover: How the Reformation Happened
Author(s): 
Hilaire Belloc
Number of pages: 
290 pages
Copyright: 
1928
ISBN: 
9780895554659
Publisher: 
TAN Books and Publishers
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Biographies
Church History
Setting: 
16th century
Europe
17th century
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Review: 

This book is a surprisingly readable and interesting account of "How the Reformation Happened". Although it is written from a Catholic perspective, Mr. Belloc is very fair in dishing out the blame to the appropriate people on both sides. The years covered are 1517 (when Martin Luther affixed his protest against the Indulgences to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany) to 1648, but also includes commentary of the implications of the "Reformation" on our own times. He covers all the major countries involved and is very skilled at explaining the essentials of what happened and the lessons we should take from it. This is the answer for homeschoolers looking for the whole story of what is so often misrepresented in History texts – whether Protestant or Secular. It makes good reading for adults who are teaching younger children or for high schoolers to read on their own. Includes a complete index.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
3-25-2000

Pages