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Life is a Blessing

A Biography of Jerome Lejeune: Geneticist, Doctor, Father
Book cover: 'Life is a Blessing'
Author(s): 
Clara Lejeune
Translator(s): 
Michael J. Miller
Number of pages: 
160 pages
Copyright: 
2000
ISBN: 
0898708125
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Subject(s): 
Biographies
Scientists
Setting: 
20th century
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Review: 

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.

Seeking to help his beloved patients, Lejeune succeeded in tracing the cause of Down syndrome to an extra 21st chromosome. He could have named the syndrome after himself, but with his characteristic humility, he named the condition "Trisomy-21". 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 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 John Paul II found a particular significance.

A beautiful book about a great man.

Additional notes: 

Originally published in French by Criterion, Paris, 1997.

A newer edition of this title has been published by the Catholic University of America Press in 2022.

Reviewed by: 
Suchi Myjak
First reviewed: 
8-7-2008

Life is Beautiful

Subject(s): 
History
Setting: 
Europe
Life during World War II
Grade / Age level: 
Adults
Mature Teens
Resource Type: 
Videos
Review: 
This serves as a tamer, but every-bit-as-powerful, version of Schindler's List (at least in-so-far as it portrays the reality of the Nazi concentration camps and the hopelessness and unfairness suffered by its prisoners). Perhaps because this is a "fable" rather than biography, it manages to portray the awfulness of war in a more subtle way - without all the gore and through the eyes of a child. It's still quite intense, though, and would only be suitable for teens and adults. (I recommend that parents preview it themselves first.) The story follows an Italian Jew, his wife and son as they are sent to a concentration camp and struggle with life there. The father (Roberto Benigni), in particular uses his creativity and quirky sense of humor to keep his son alive and encourage his wife to remain hopeful.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
7-21-03

Life of Jesus

Book cover: 'Life of Jesus'
Copyright: 
2002
ISBN: 
9781890947187
Publisher: 
Rose Publishing
Binding: 
Other
Subject(s): 
The Life of Christ
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Grades K-2
Resource Type: 
General Resource
Wall Chart
Review: 

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).

Additional notes: 
Binding details: 19 3/8" x 26" Wall Chart
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
5-8-04

Light to the Nations

The Development of Christian Civilizations, Volume One
Author(s): 
Catholic Schools Textbook Project
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
World History
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
High School
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Text
Review: 
Most Catholic homeschoolers today are familiar with the high quality level of the Catholic Textbook Projects volumes, and this one, Light to the Nations is no exception. (Note that I write this review based on the CD format of the book). Attractive, user-friendly layout, beautiful reproductions and helpful maps are found throughout the chapters. Light to the Nations explores World History starting with the birth of Christ. So it is the history of our Christian, Western civilization. Volume One, the book in question, goes from the time of the Birth of Christ until the Enlightenment in the 18th century. Volume Two will pick up where this volume has left off, and from what I can assess on their website, it is in production. See more information at the publisher's website at http://www.catholictextbookproject.com/purchase/purchase-main.html What is different, and both extremely rewarding and delightful about this book, is the issue of trust. You know the feeling: you are studying History with your kids and when it comes to certain historical periods, you begin trembling, knowing all too well what's coming: attacks on the Church based most times on ignorance of History and Protestant slant. Not here! While this book doesn't have the usual Protestant or secular slant, it does not glorify the Church as a spotless, perfect human institution: She isn't. We know that, as mistakes have been made and apologies have been issued. Light to the Nations gives the Catholic student a balanced, cohesive, balanced account of the turbulent and wonder-ful times of the development and growth of Christendom in Europe. I led a small group of 8th and 9th graders this past school year (2008-2009) using The Catholic Textbook Project's Light to the Nations. We got together once a week for an afternoon and read aloud the chapter, stopping to discuss when necessary, and using Atlases many times to follow along paths of events. We read the summary at the end of the chapter and loved the interesting extra snippets about people and places of interest. Since the teacher's manual is not yet available, I had the students write different types of questions with answers for each chapter and many times we had fun quizzing each other.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Ana Braga-Henebry
First reviewed: 
7-13-2009

Lightning

Book cover: 'Lightning'
Author(s): 
Seymour Simon
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
1997
Publisher: 
Morrow Books/Harper Collins
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Weather
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
Review: 

Seymour Simon, famous for his children's science books illustrated with stunning photography, hits another home run with Lightning. This fascinating book details facts and fascinating statistics about lightning with lots of the "wow!" effect that helps keep middle-schoolers interested in science. Did you know that scientists have discovered new types of lightning within the past ten years? How long would the electricity from one bolt of lightning power one lightbulb? These and many more fascinating photos and facts await the reader of this very nice science book. I really like to have these kinds of books around my house to help my children get a lot more out of science than I did as a child.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
7-18-04

Lingua Angelica

Christian Latin Reading Course
Book cover: 'Lingua Angelica: Christian Latin Reading Course'
Author(s): 
Cheryl Lowe
Copyright: 
2001
Publisher: 
Memoria Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Sacred Music
Latin
Resource Type: 
Supplement
CD Audio
Review: 

There are several components of this Latin/Music Appreciation Program. Materials may be purchased individually or in sets, depending on where you purchase them from.

Song Book and Audio CD: A lovely, six voice polyphonic choir performs twenty-four Latin songs and hymns a capella (without accompaniment) on this professionally-recorded CD. Not only is this a beautiful way to present this type of music, but it also makes the music easier to learn for children and families. These songs represent some of the most beautiful musical treasures of the Church - from Gregorian Chant ( e.g. Mass of the Angels and Adoro Te ) to classic four-part hymns (e.g. Panis Angelicus and Stabat Mater). Singing can be a great component of your Latin curriculum. It aids pronunciation, provides additional (and fun) practice and helps students make connections to Latin used outside of class.

The CD alone is a wonderful complement to a Catholic education and a simple way to introduce your children to the beauty of our Catholic heritage. I found my two year old singing snatches of the Ave Maria when we had only listened to the CD a few times. The song book includes four part harmonies and extensive verses all written in modern musical notation (if you'd like the Gregorian Chant notation for the appropriate songs, you will find those in the Adoremus Hymnal). In addition to the more "serious" selections, this set also includes some fun-to-sing songs like the traditional German Student Song Gaudeamus Igitur.

Even on their own, the Lingua Angelica CD and Song Book will make an excellent addition your Latin curriculum, a beautiful component of family devotions and an excellent resource for music history and appreciation. The song book also includes historical notes on the songs and offers some related topics for further research. Every Catholic family - even those not yet studying Latin formally - will enjoy and benefit from this musical set.

Student Book and Teacher Manual (Level I): The first level Lingua Angelica text gently guides student and teacher through sixteen Latin prayers and songs through the study of vocabulary and grammar. While this is not intended as a complete Latin program in and of itself, it will reinforce grammar components learned elsewhere and help interconnect Latin studies with related subjects. Ideally, this supplement would be started once the student has completed about three quarters of Latina Christiana I. Each lesson covers a song or a part of a song; offering new vocabulary and practicing noun, verb and adjective endings. The back of the text includes thirteen pages of Grammar Charts for easy reference.

The Introduction to the Teacher's Manual gives a great overview of the reasons why Christian Latin can be so helpful and formational on many levels - both as a foundation of "real" Latin for students to build their later studies upon and as a beautiful and worthy subject matter for our children to memorize and learn to appreciate for their own sake. This manual also includes a detailed schedule (with varying levels of learning activities which are easily adaptable for different abilities) and grammar and vocabulary notes on each song.

The entire Lingua Angelica - the Song Book, audio CD and two levels of Texts (with teacher's manuals) provides a well-planned six-year Latin supplement based on these songs and prayers. These six years are specifically intended to complement the two years of Latina Christiana and four years of Henle.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
9-20-04

Lingua Mater

Book cover: 'Lingua Mater'
Author(s): 
Margot Davidson
Number of pages: 
306 pages
Copyright: 
2005
Publisher: 
Hillside Education
Binding: 
Spiralbound
Subject(s): 
Grammar
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
Resource Type: 
Text
Review: 

This is a complete English program written for 7th grade, but can easily be adapted for 6th and 8th graders as well. Although it is written to be used in one year, the author has given details of how it can be broken down into a two year program.

Margot Davidson has taken beautiful Literature pieces, paintings and poems, and incorporated them into a program to teach English. By using narration, copy work, Literature analysis, discussion, and grammar, your child will come away with an understanding of how sentences, paragraphs, poems and stories are put together. The approach is gentle yet the writing assignments require higher order thinking than any comparable English program on the market. Lingua Mater would be a wonderful next step for those using Primary Language Lessons, Intermediate Language Lessons or Stories with a View. Lessons are perfect for your Middle School child and the text is a wonderful preparation for the High School years which will require more in-depth analysis and writing.

The student book is broken down into four Units and each Unit has nine weeks. The student book is not meant to be written in, but there is permission for you to photocopy for your own family. (Or you can purchase the supplement from Hillside Education, which has all the work done for you, photocopies would cost you much more.)There are rubrics to help you determine your child's writing abilities and checklists for your child to use himself to evaluate whether he has completed his writing assignments accordingly. The teacher's guide is wonderful and includes examples of the types of answers you are looking for from your child's grammar and discussion work.

Hurray to Mrs. Davidson for putting out a product which will be a treasure to Catholic home school parents for years to come!

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Diane Richmond
First reviewed: 
6-7-05

Linnea in Monet's Garden

Book cover: 'Linnea in Monet's Garden'
Author(s): 
Christian Bjork
Number of pages: 
53 pages
Copyright: 
1985
Publisher: 
R and S Publishers
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Art Appreciation
Grade / Age level: 
All ages
Resource Type: 
General Resource
Review: 

This book is a clever way to introduce children to the works and life of Claude Monet and help them to start appreciating the works of the Impressionists. "Linnea" is a little girl with a love for art and flowers who travels with her friend and neighbor Mr. Bloom (a retired gardener) to France to visit the restored estate of Claude Monet and the museums displaying his art. Besides the illustrations of this story, there are reproductions of some of Monet's paintings, old photographs of him and his family, and photographs of what his estate looks like today. Linnea helps to explain the idea of imporessionism and share her enthusiasm - especially of standing on the Japanese bridge. The book also includes a brief biography, a timeline and Monet Family Tree as well as information about other books on Monet and the Museums and other attractions visited by Linnea in the story. I'm waiting for them to write "Linnea in the Louvre" and "Linnea visits the Sistine Chapel"! : )

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
Dec 26, 1999

Literature Alive

Book cover: 'Literature Alive'
Author(s): 
Cay A. Gibson
Number of pages: 
317 pages
Copyright: 
2003
Publisher: 
Wise Publications
Binding: 
Spiralbound
Subject(s): 
Books about Books
Review: 

Although this is a hefty tome, the relaxed, informal tone begs you to snuggle up with it on the sofa with a cozy afghan, a crackling fire, and a hot cup of tea. Of course, it's winter here in Wisconsin: overcast, chilly and white outside. Whatever the weather or circumstances, this book is guaranteed to soothe the soul and inspire the book lover within. You feel like you are having a conversation with a best friend and will often find yourself saying, "Yes" and nodding in agreement, or pausing to reflect and say, "Hmm, interesting, I will have to think about that."

Appropriately subtitled How to Turn a Living Book into a Cherished Book within the Home, Literature Alive covers just about every imaginable topic related to books, book collecting, and creating book lovers in your children. There are a whopping 111 topics. Topic titles include: Compiling a Book List; Finding Old Book Friends; Narration and Writing for Beginners; Guiding Teens to Writing; Notebooking! Easy as A, B, C; A Journey into the World of Dyslexia; and The Art of Journals. There are also several articles on Maria Montessori and Charlotte Mason. Although the majority of the book is written by Cay Gibson, there are a number of contributing authors as well. If you enjoy books and have been homeschooling for a while, you will probably recognize a few of the contributing authors, such as: Ann Ball, Joan Stromberg, Penny Gardner and MacBeth Derham.

This is not the kind of book you will want to plow through quickly. You will want to pause often and reflect on passages and quotes about books while taking notes about favorite authors or helpful resources. For the bibliophile, you will be tempted to check out the lists of books about books and resources for literature study from the library or elsewhere. The book also includes blank spaces to add your own notes. The informal type face adds to the comfortable tone.

You might want to jump to your favorite topic or enjoy the journey from beginning to end with pit stops along the way. The spiral binding allows you to fold back the pages, making it easier to handle when reading. If you are a lover of great literature and good books, or just learning about the importance of literature in the lives of your children, you will enjoy this book. Even for those of us who don't need to be convinced of the value of good books, there is much to ponder within the pages of this wonderful resource.

Available through this link.

Reviewed by: 
Elizabeth Yank
First reviewed: 
2-23-05

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