Since I have been homeschooling since the Paleozoic era of the 1980's, there are times when I feel like I've heard it all before. Not with the Catholic Homeschool Companion. Almost every article offered me a fresh perspective, reaffirmed a belief I already had, inspired me with encouragement, or taught me something new.

Veteran homeschoolers Maureen Wittmann and Rachel Mackson have brought together in one book the real experts: Parents who have experienced what works best for them. They have practiced what they preach. If you are looking for a "how-to-manual" or a one-size fits all curriculum, you have come to the wrong place.

The book is a true representation of the homeschool community in which every family has their own particular way of homeschooling. It reflects a rich diversity of homeschool styles, covering a wide range of topics. There are even articles written from the student's point of view. In other words, the articles reflect points of view from across the spectrum of learning situations: structured learning to unit studies; the special needs child to the typical learner, families sharing a co-op homeschool to homeschooling only your own family.

By looking at just the Chapter headings you can see why this book is a whopping 482 pages: Core Subjects, Enrichments Subjects, High School, Homeschooling Styles and Strategies, Children with Special Needs, Homeschooling in Unique Circumstances, the Father's Perspective, Finding Inspiration, Homeschooling Community and Support, Home Management, Homeschool Students and Graduates, and Appendices with lists of resources and authors' biographies.

Under each category, four or more authors explore the topic from their perspective. Under Core Subjects, for example, you are not going to find an exhaustive treatment of the topic, covering every school subject, but a personal experience on what worked best for that family regarding a particular subject whether it is phonics, math, or grammar. Marcia Neill, for example, discusses "History as God's Plan."

Even though the book is rather thick, it is a great book to "snack" on. As we all know, time is precious for busy moms. Because of the layout of the book, the reader can pick and choose the topic of interest to him or her. That is right; there are articles of interest to dad as well. Since the essays are short, it is a great book to grab when you have only a few minutes to read.

Since I have my own way of doing things, I may not agree with every word or find it practical or probable to implement every suggestion. I can still benefit greatly from this book by gleaning from the experts their experience and apply what works best for my homeschool situation.

It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of someone else's success and not understand why it won't work for you. The answer is that every family is unique. You need to find out what works best for your family. That is one of the great beauties of this book. Every family shares their gifts. Pull up a chair, and sit back and relax while others share their insights. With all the possibilities presented in the Catholic Homeschool Companion, you are bound to find (as the subtitle says) ". . .tips, tricks, and techniques to make your homeschool a happier, holier, and more productive learning environment. . ."

Another great collection compiled by William Bennett which includes beautifully illustrated tales and poems such as: Father Junipero Serra, the story of the First Thanksgiving, Paul Bunyan, the Story of the Star Spangled Banner, an Indian legend, and patriotic songs and poems. This is one of the books that my children ask for over and over - probably because of the wonderful illustrations, interesting content and great variety of stories. I especially like the story included about Father Junipero Serra which very nicely portrays the faith and fortitude of this humble priest.

I like this volume even better than The Children's Book of Virtues. (We checked it out from the library three different times before I finally bought it!) Heroes includes stories of Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, David and Goliath, Father Flanagan and Jackie Robinson. The book is filled with illustrations and stories are generally three to five pages, with a few poems included as well. The biographies are our family's favorites, but there are many other stories including myths and fairy tales which teach some of the same values. You can't miss the Catholic stories included.

The Children's Homer is an epic adventure about the Trojan War and the homecoming of Odysseus. The two famous tales, The Iliad and The Odyssey, were originally written by Homer, a renowned poet in Ancient Greece. Mr. Colum retells these stories for us. My family used this book as a read-aloud, and enjoyed it immensely. We were all thrilled by the gripping stories and the detailed pictures. It's an excellent book to use when studing Anciect Greece. I would give it five *****rating.