24 Postcards in perforated book

Most homeschoolers are familiar with the Montessori-style idea of having children learn to enjoy and appreciate great paintings by studying small post-card size reproductions (especially as promoted by Aline Wolf in Mommy It's a Renoir). This is a very nice program, as I understand it, but I've been frustrated with the lack of beautiful painting collections in postcard size. You can find them here and there at museums, but they have been very difficult to purchase on the web or from catalog. Dover Publications is beginning to fill that gap with some beautiful postcard collections, but Leonardo is my favorite so far.

The set includes 13 reproductions of paintings: Madonna with the Carnation (1475), The Virgin and Child with St. Anne (1508), Bacchus (circa 1513), Portrait of Ginerva de'Benci (circa 1478), The Last Supper - detail (1495-1497), The Benois Madonna (circa 1478), The Annunciation - detail (circa 1472), St. John the Baptist (circa 1513-1516), Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani a.k.a. Lady with an Ermine (circa 1490), Madonna of the Yarnwinder (1501), Madonna Litta (circa 1490), Mona Lisa (1503-1506), and Portrait of a Musician (circa 1490).

There are 11 beautiful drawings as well: The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Profile of a Young Woman, Antique Warrior, Self-Portrait, Five Grotesque Heads, The Virgin of the Rocks, Vitruvian Man, Study for the Last Supper and Architectural Sketches, Old Man and Youth, Study for the Battle of Anghiari and Feminine Headdress.

This is a great and inexpensive way to introduce children to really great art. Also would make a nice supplement to Leonardo da Vinci for Kids.

Written by his daughter, this book brings us a portrait of a great Christian, loving husband and father, and devoted son who was also one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century.

As a pediatrician, Jérôme Lejeune saw many patients with Down syndrome. Seeking to help these beloved patients and their families, he succeeded in tracing the cause of Down syndrome to an extra 21^st chromosome. He could have named the genetic anomaly after himself, but with his characteristic humility, he named the condition "Trisomy-21," meaning three 21^st chromosomes (instead of two). While his work did succeed in removing the stigma from Downs (it had previously been thought that maternal syphilis caused it), Lejeune was heartbroken to see his discovery turned into a weapon against the little ones he loved so much.

Further discoveries in the field of genetic medicine followed, including Trisomy-13 and monosomy-9. But despite his pioneering work, which opened up the field of genetically-based diseases, he was never awarded a Nobel Prize, likely due to his unwelcome pro-life views. There was worse to come. Because of his defense of the innocent and defenseless, Lejeune found himself increasingly sidelined. Nevertheless, he continued to bear a hope-filled Christian witness, forgetful of self, a shining example to us all.

Toward the end of his life, Dr. Lejeune worked to found the Pontifical Academy for Life and was (very briefly) its first president. He died on Easter Sunday, a circumstance in which his friend Pope St. John Paul II found a particular significance.

A beautiful book about a great man.

We put this poster up in our upstairs hallway thinking that the colorful pictures would be attractive to the little ones and help them develop a better understanding of the Life of Jesus. The full color drawings are attractive but dignified. It's been a big hit so far. I find my six year old reading words here and there, my four year old asking about what happens in different pictures and my two year old pointing to her favorite scenes. The pictures include simple descriptions and dialogue along with Biblical references.

Bernie (age 4) says: "I like Christmas and Easter and Palm Sunday and the Last Supper. And I like when Jesus was baptized. Jesus made water into wine."

Terri (age 6) says: "I think the poster looks pretty. It is about God. I like the pictures of Palm Sunday. It looks like fun."

Gus (age 8) says: "It's sort of like a Picture Bible on one poster."

Four reproducible work sheets cover "the Miracles of Jesus", "the Parables of Jesus", "Who is Jesus" and "Events in the Life of Jesus".

Update March 2024: Ascension Press used to carry these wall charts but no longer does. However, they are still being published (see the box at the top of this review for details).