This is a remarkable movie and the heart of the story is very beautiful. Two stories are intertwined. The first is simply the story of the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis during World War II. The second is the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman, determined to profit from the war by hiring Jews as cheap laborers. He is a womanizer, living the high life through in spite of the suffering around him. Steven Spielberg has artfully combined these themes by contrasting Schindler with the Nazi Commandant he interacts with and by the positive changes that develop in Schindler even as the evils of the Holocaust grow.

The movie is available (probably at your local library) on two video tapes. The first tape basically sets up the story of the Holocaust and how brutal it was. I understand that Spielberg thought this was important because he had become aware that many people today don't believe the Holocaust actually happened. There is a great deal of gore, nudity and other difficult content. Given the desensitization in our culture to gore and violence in movies in general, Spielberg may have felt that a graphic and realistic portrayal was necessary. I personally don't believe it is necessary to see all of this in order to grasp the importance of the story (particularly since most of my readers probably have no doubts about the reality of the Holocaust). I also don't think it's particularly healthy - spiritually or psychologically if you will - to plant such images in the imagination - particularly for young people. I suggest skipping this entire first tape.

The second tape focuses on the story of Oscar Schindler and how he rescued over a thousand Jews from certain death in the Nazi concentration camps. Even though it is milder in content than the first tape, it still contains some offensive/mature/objectionable content. Parents should definitely preview it before considering it for more mature high schoolers. Even then, it would probably be reasonable to edit certain portions with the fast-forward button. The ending is amazing and very powerful as we see the dramatic change in Schindler's character, his return to his wife and the Faith and, especially, his overpowering realization of the value of human life.

Despite the graphic scenes, the morals offered by the story in its entirety are good. I'm appreciative of Spielberg's acknowledgments within the story that Schindler's Catholic faith is connected with his good deeds.

For those who don't want to tackle this rather difficult movie, the story of Oskar Schindler is also told in A Place to Hide: True Stories of Holocaust Rescues by Jayne Pettit

This 4th grade science textbook is nicely laid out and easy to use. Each chapter begins with a brief biography of a famous Catholic scientist, like Copernicus, Mendel and Pasteur, followed by four literal comprehension questions. The goals of the chapter and an outline are also provided at the beginning of each chapter. Interspersed among the text of the chapters are experiments, activities, and review questions. There are also review study pages at the end of the chapter.

Since it is a Catholic text, the author inserts things to think about which are distinctly Christian. For example, in the chapter about plants, the text offers an explanation of the plant dying to release a seed. There is a picture of a Crucifix on the page and an accompanying caption explains, " . . .a flower dying to produce a seed reminds us of how Jesus suffered and died in order that we might have new life."

The topics covered in this course are The Heavens; The Earth, Moon and Space; Oceans, Weather and Climate; Water and Material Things; Machines; Living Things; The Wonder of Man; and Health. Many states require a health component and this last chapter handily takes care of that requirement.

The topics are arranged in the order of creation, which is great for religion, but not necessarily good for the study of science. If done that way, the student starts with things which are least known to him (the heavens), instead of those things which are most known. However, most secular science texts also start with things least known, like cells. A significant drawback to the text is that there are few if any true "thinking" questions. The questions for review are all explicitly literal comprehension. Even the experiments and activities do not ask the student to reflect about what he has observed or to draw conclusions. That seems to leave out a very important element in the study of science.

If supplemented with discussion and hands on activities, this could be a useful text because of the information it provides. The chapters do not rely or build upon one another, so you could teach the topics in any order you choose.

The 2012 and later editions feature updated and improved full-color illustrations as well as a new glossary and index. With the first edition (from 1999), some of our reviewers had concerns about some "cheesy" illustrations (such as a cartoonish picture of a sun with sunglasses in the astronomy section). We are happy to update our review to reflect that this is no longer an issue.

This well-worn book has been kicked-around, chewed on and well-loved by my young children since my second oldest received it for Christmas just before the birth of his new baby sister (he was two at the time). The book is a photo-story of the author's daughter as she grows from a new baby to an active toddler. Each two-page shows a number of pictures of the baby doing whatever she does best at that given age. It's a very simple idea, although with my adult fussiness I would only complain that the pages are a bit busy and I sometimes wonder if my very young children understand that all the pictures are of the same baby.

While not a board book, the pages are extra thick and have held up pretty well considering the wear-and-tear in our household. In fact the only major damage so far is that the front and back end-pages have been torn-off (which happily did not damage the actual text of the book). This is really a pre-preschool book (Ages 1 - 4).

Today's young women can benefit in many ways from the lessons learned whilst sewing. Among them are the genuine self-esteem gained by completing a challenging task, patience both with oneself and with the project at hand, and quiet perseverance with a task that takes longer than expected. Sewing with Saint Anne is a delightful book that organizes and simplifies the steps needed to learn how to sew. The majority of the projects would appeal to a young lady from about age six onward if she had help, or from about age ten with just a little help. Many happy, productive hours can be spent by a mother and her daughter(s) or a group of young ladies and their teacher learning this useful, lifelong skill.

Sewing with Saint Anne is divided into three main sections: the lessons, Homemaking Projects, and Gift Projects. The lessons and projects are intermixed with interesting historical notes and quaint illustrations. There are twelve lessons that will be repeated any number of times as various projects are completed. The lessons begin with the basics of threading a needle and sewing a seam, continue with basting and hemming, and finish with the more difficult skills of gathering and embroidery. All but one of the lessons can be completed without the use of a sewing machine, although one may certainly be used; the final lesson is about sewing machines.

The sixteen projects are grouped into Homemaking Projects and Gift Projects, and patterns are included for each one. Permission is granted to photocopy the patterns for the purchaser's family only. Homemaking Projects are at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels and include a pincushion, a hand towel, a napkin, an altar cloth, and a lap quilt among others. Gift Projects are either for beginning or intermediate students; these include a hair scrunchie, a baby bib, a gift bag, and four others. Instructions for each project are clear and easy to follow with step-by-step guidance and profuse, uncluttered hand-drawn illustrations.