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My Father and Mother on Earth and in Heaven (Book One) is a small text, heavily illustrated with black-and-white drawings, designed to be a sort of "religion storybook" for first graders. The text is very brief, particularly in the beginning (when they expect first graders to have more limited reading abilities) and is well suited to discussion with a parent as well as drawing in supplemental resources, such as the full stories from the Bible. It covers beliefs and spirituality in a simple way, very appropriate for those just being introduced to their faith. The text (very appropriately) relies heavily on the pictures to portray ideas and lessons to the children. Topics covered include: the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary briefly explained and suggestions for how young children can try to be more like Jesus. The Appendix includes basic prayers and the "First Communion Catechism" (Questions 1-54 of the Baltimore Catechism). A teacher's manual is also available.

(Alicia Van Hecke, 2-28-2000)

Note from the webmaster: Because I don't have a copy of the teacher's manual, I feel that my review is somewhat incomplete. Please read the following review as well, from a friend who is using the program...

You are right to think that the bulk of the material is in the teacher's manual. The little hardcover book is more of a picture book. It gives the kids something to look at while we read/discuss the lesson. There are 144 lessons in the Teacher's Manual. It covers roughly the same material as the Faith and Life series, but Our Holy Faith goes into much more depth. The main reason that I see for this is that Faith and Life is primarily designed for weekly classes. Our Holy Faith is designed for daily use. And so, for example, Faith and Life covers the Passion in one lesson, while Our Holy Faith has eighteen. (There is a lesson for each Station of the Cross.)

Also, Our Holy Faith follows the liturgical calendar, and at the end of each month's material there are a few lessons devoted to specific feast days that are within that month. For example, in February we had additional lessons on the Feast of the Purification, St. Blaise, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Valentine.

Within the text are questions to ask the students and then suggestions of how to implement the virtues that are being taught/exemplified by Our Lord, Our Lady, the Saints, etc. This first year also covers all the mysteries of the Rosary. As you can see it is very thorough. I am amazed at all the material that is covered. First grade looks like the entire scope of what I learned in 12 years of Catholic school!

Update from webmaster, March 2024: These titles have been updated by St. Augustine Academy Press to feature four-color illustrations rather than the original black-and-white ones. They are also now available in both soft- and hardcover editions.

The Seventh Grade text takes some controversial stances with regard to Biblical interpretations. While belief in the "old-earth" theory (that the world is billions rather than thousands of years old) may be held by Catholics, some parents have objected to the strong tone the text takes in defending this view. More troubling is the authors' interpretation of many biblical events that would otherwise be considered historical (such as God changing Lot's wife to a pillar of salt or the story of Jonah and the Whale) to be mythical in nature. It should also be noted that Our Lady of the Rosary School, which uses this series, does not use this portion of the text.

Perspective:

Catholic

Additional notes:

Imprimatur

Reviewed by:

Z.C.

First reviewed:

3-26-2000

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Author(s):

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand

Illustrator(s):

Tonya Engel

Number of pages:

32 pages

2012

ISBN:

9780761461357

Publisher:

Two Lions

Binding:

Glued Hardcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Resource Type:

Review:

I never cease to marvel at the wonder-full story of Guadalupe. This new picture book does a fabulous job of retelling it, with historical accuracy, gentleness, and vibrant illustrations. This lovely book will make a very nice gift to a child, and the child's older siblings and parents will enjoy it as well.

Although the story of Guadalupe is one of the most well-known Catholic stories, the effects of this historical event are intricately woven in Mexican-American history. I believe this book will be of interest to any reader, independent of denomination, because of its historical ramifications. In the millions who visit the largest Marian shrine in the world in Mexico, there are many who are there for historical and cultural interest. A high quality, beautiful picture book! Highly recommended.

Perspective:

Catholic

Additional notes:

The "See Inside" feature on Amazon for this book is very generous and one can see much of the book including the excellent Author's Note at the end.

Reviewed by:

Ana Braga-Henebry

First reviewed:

January 14, 2013

Our Lady of Guadalupe Cut'n'Color Kit

Publisher:

Illuminated Ink

Subject(s):

Grade / Age level:

Review:

Our Lady of Guadalupe Cut ‘n Color is actually a 3-dimensional story book about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Once completed, this cut, color, and assemble kit creates a lovely storybook attached to an attractive diorama that children can use with the paper dolls to act out the story. A few parts will need some adult supervision. On the bottom of the “book” are pages of the story that you turn while the diorama remains in view. Each kit includes the book, scenery, church, and paper dolls of Juan Diego, the Bishop, and Our Lady of Guadalupe all on card stock with easy to follow instructions. A craft knife or X-acto knife is required. The picture on the cover does not give justice to how beautiful this project is. Once completed, your child will have an attractive diorama to play with and a story to read over and over again.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Elizabeth Yank

First reviewed:

5-2-2006

Our Musical Year

Songs of Faith, Freedom and Fun

Author(s):

Sandra Harrison

Laura O'Kelly-Farrell

2001

Publisher:

High Note Solutions

Subject(s):

Music

Grade / Age level:

Elementary

Resource Type:

General Resource

Review:

Level 1 (1st and 2nd grade) includes 93 songs 130 pg. spiral-bound manual and two CDs - one learning CD and one sing-along (instrumental)

Level 2 (3rd-6th grade) includes 91 songs 142 pg. spiral-bound manual and 3 CDs. Includes music instruction and basic theory lessons

We've had a lot of frustration with finding a good music program for our family. We were unable to use the songbook that came with our package curriculum because I did not know most of the songs and we don't have a piano or the ability to properly play them if we did. When I tried to find recordings of the songs from the songbook, I was told it was out of print. I looked for other songbooks with tapes or CDs to go along with it but I was not happy with the ones I bought. They either did not have the traditional Catholic songs for children or when I was able to find some of the music for the songs I wanted my children to learn, there was no words for it to help them follow along. Also, it was very difficult to teach them when there was other children singing on the tape. I had a hard time getting them to put forth any effort and participation in music class and felt they were not learning much about music.

Finally, we purchased Our Musical Year at a homeschool conference. Since we have started using the book and music in this program, our children have increased their participation so much because they enjoy it and I feel they are really learning. Now they want to use it not only for music class, but also for fun. They are already singing some of the songs around the house and we have only used it a few times. I feel it is well worth the money because I can use it for more than one year and for more than one student. Also I think of all the money I wasted on other things to try to help me teach music class. I really like how the book is set up to go along with the liturgical year and the fun and patriotic songs are great too. I feel these are the kind of songs I want my children singing instead of what they hear on the radio. They are not just learning songs to sing either. They are learning about how music works with the notes going up and down. The learning CD is slow enough and clear so they can really hear the notes and they can understand the musical terms I teach them. This is my first year home schooling my 7 year old and 4 year old. We also have a 1 1/2 year old and a baby due this summer. This is just what I have been looking for all year long. Now I will feel better prepared for next year.

Reviewed by:

K.V.

First reviewed:

6-5-02

Our Pioneers and Patriots

Author(s):

Rev. Philip Furlong

Number of pages:

505 pages

1940

Publisher:

TAN Books

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Resource Type:

Review:

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Andrea Chen

First reviewed:

1-3-05

Our Roman Roots

Author(s):

Dr. James Leek

Subject(s):

Latin Programs

Review:

Ecclesiastical Pronunciation, 15 weeks of lessons

Our Roman Roots was designed to teach children Latin through the functional method. This means that the material to be learned is presented in relation to what is already known to the child. Vocabulary and grammar are taught as aids to reading. This is unlike the approach used by many programs which emphasize grammar through chant and vocabulary through memorization. For example in the first lesson the child is given a short quote in Latin (eg. "To the stars through difficulties.") followed by an English translation of the quote. The student is instructed to draw lines between those Latin and English words which he thinks are the same. Later he is given vocabulary (many with illustrations) which contain some of the words that were in the original quotes. These quotes are used later to encourage critical thinking. Through repeated exposure to phrases, and some comments from the author, grammar is gradually introduced. Each weekly unit also involves the memorization of a Latin song or chant such as "The Lamb of God" and "The Our Father". Review is built into this program which comes with an easy to follow cassette tape that uses ecclesiastical Latin. My only complaint about this program is that a few words are introduced and never defined. The author suggests students can do each lesson alone in 45 minutes. In our family the lessons took over an hour and the student often didn't grasp parts of the material. I now sit side by side and do the lesson along with my child with both of us finishing in about 30 minutes. Our family adheres to the Classical approach which encourages chants and memorization (the opposite of what is used in this program), however ORR is a most pleasant introduction to Latin. Our family uses "English From the Roots Up" in second and third grade, "Our Roman Roots" in fourth grade and "Latina Christiana" in fifth grade. The student and teacher need no previous knowledge of Latin to use this program. While there are only 15 weeks of lessons most families will not be able to tie up this much time every day doing Latin. We do Latin every other week in our house, with quick review during the off week.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Andrea Chen

First reviewed:

1998-99

Our Sunday Visitor's 2008 Catholic Almanac

Author(s):

Matthew Bunson, general editor

Number of pages:

640 pages

2008

Publisher:

Our Sunday Visitor

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Miscellaneous Religion Materials

Grade / Age level:

Grades 6-8

High School

Review:

This is a fantastic reference book for a wide variety of reasons - especially for those who don't have Internet access or who don't want their children to do searches on the Internet. Our Sunday Visitor has been publishing an annual Catholic Almanac for over one hundred years. Teachers, educators, parents and many others will find a great deal of useful and well-organized information at their finger-tips. The text is divided into four main sections with numerous sub categories beneath each one. Here's a quick overview:

Part One: News and Events: The Year in Review and News in Depth(includes segments on Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Documents and Announcements, Special Reports on International News, Special Reports on National News, Life Issues and Meetings of U.S. Bishops) Part Two: The Teachings of the Catholic Church Doctrine of the Catholic Church, Glossary, The Church Calendar, Liturgical Life of the Church, The Sacraments of the Church and The Communion of Saints. Part Three: The Church Universal Dates and Events in Catholic History, The Papacy and the Holy See, The Roman Curia, Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, The Universal Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, The Catholic Church in the U.S., United States Hierarchy, Biographies of American Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Minority Catholics in the U.S., Statistics of the Church in the U.S., The Catholic Church in Canada, The Catholic Church in Mexico. Part Four: The Life of the Church in the World Consecrated Life, Apostolates and Ministries, Catholic Social Services, Education, Catholic Communications, Ecumenism and Interreligous Dialogue, Separated Eastern Churches, Reformation Churches, Interreligious Dialogue.

Although this is a complete list of main categories and general topics, it doesn't give a sense of the detail and usefulness of the overall content. I'll try to give a few examples that might be particular useful to Catholic homeschool families, to give a sense of the content: In the section on "The Papacy and the Holy See" from Part Three, you'll find (among other things) a complete lists of popes as well as a more detailed overview of the Popes of the 20th Century. Here's a one of the segments (entitled "Peace Efforts") of the mini-biography of Pope Pius XII, who was Pope during World War II. I think this gives a good sense of the important facts which have been carefully chose and supported in the text:

Before the start of World War II, he tried unsuccessfully to get the contending nations - Germany and Poland, France and Italy- to settle their differences peaceably. During the war, he offered his services to mediate the widened conflict, spoke out against the horrors of war and the suffering it caused, mobilized relief work for its victims, proposed a five-point program for peace in Christmas messages from 1939 to 1942, and secured a generally open status for the city of Rome. He has been criticized in some quarters for not doing enough to oppose the Holocaust. This is a matter of historical debate, but it is a fact that through his direct intercession many thousands of Jews in Rome and Italy were saved from certain death, and he resisted wherever possible the threat of Nazism to human rights. Such were his contributions to assisting Jews that the rabbi of Rome, Dr. Abraham Zolli, was converted to Catholicism, and upon his death, Pius was praised by Golda Meir for his efforts. After the war, he endorsed the principles and intent of the U.N. and continued efforts for peace.

Also, in the same overall section is a 36 page country-by-country overview of Catholic statistics (number of religious, Catholic population, percent of the total population that is Catholic and things like that) and a paragraph briefly explaining the history of the faith in each country. It's a wonderful supplement to geographical studies and a place to find interesting information on current missionary efforts of the Church. I could readily imagine homeschool families choosing countries with small minorities of Catholics (such as Turkmenistan, which has only two priests to serve a population of approximately 1000 Catholics). Here is a list of some of the other resources contained in this Almanac that may be of interest (there are many, many more besides these):

Books of the Bible (including information on books that are rejected by Protestant denominations and overviews of each book)
A mini Old Testament Bible timeline
A list of Apostolic Fathers, Fathers of the Church and Doctors of the Church with a brief biography of each
A 32 page Catholic Glossary
A detailed liturgical calendar
An overview of major Holy Days and other Observances
Extensive listing of saints, including a list of traditional Patrons and Intercessors and recent Canonizations
A ten page timeline of Catholic History
A listing of all Papal Encyclicals from 1740 to the present day (The most recent encyclical included here is Deus Caritas Est)
A Chronology of U.S. Catholic History
A list of missionaries (with very brief biographies) to the Americas
Lists of Cathedrals, Basilicas and Shrines in the United States
An extensive listing of Catholic Colleges and Universities, including website and phone number, and current enrollment.

Because of the nature of this resource, I have not done a thorough read-through, but everything I've seen (and I've spent a number of hours poring through this) has been very solid. The book does contain some material that may not be suitable for young children, including a mention on the front cover of "An Update on the Sexual Abuse Scandal".

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

4-19-2008

Owls in the Family

Author(s):

Farley Mowat

Number of pages:

91 pages

1961

Publisher:

Yearling

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Resource Type:

Review:

Owls in the Family is a wonderful story of a few years in the life of a young boy growing up in Canada, his friends, and his unusual pets. This tale, by distinguished author Farley Mowat, is told in the first person, recounting hilarious episodes with colorful descriptions, proving that real life can be even more fun than a made-up story. Billy’s newest pets, horned owls named Wol and Weeps, add an entirely new dimension to an already chaotic, pet-filled home. His tolerant parents and adventurous friends enjoy one challenging situation after another as the owls become beloved family members. Readers will enjoy learning about the habits of owls and other animals on the Canadian prairie as the owls outsmart Mutt the dog, attend French class, and torment the postman. This classic novel will appeal to all elementary-aged children who enjoy stories about animals. It is a particularly good selection for reading aloud, as well as being especially well-suited for young boys.

Reviewed by:

Susan Kalis

First reviewed:

9-29-2008

Paddle-to-the-Sea

Author(s):

Holling Clancy Holling

1941

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Resource Type:

Review:

Paddle-to-the-Sea is a one-of-a-kind story about a little carving of an Indian in a canoe that is sent off from North of Lake Superior in Canada for a four-year trek through each of the Great Lakes, through the St. Laurence River and finally into the Atlantic Ocean. Beautifully written and fabulously illustrated, the story takes readers on an in-depth (and rather lengthy!) story of the Great Lakes region told through the "eyes" of an inanimate wooden toy as it encounters all kinds of weather, wild animals, helpful people, a forest fire, and much more. It may sound like a strange premise, but it works, and all of my children have been enchanted with the story, though it may help that, living in the Great Lakes region, a number of the places are quite familiar to us. In addition to colorful illustrations of various locations from the story, the text is often surrounded with smaller maps and technical illustrations of locks and various geographical features of the region. We've found this to work best as a read-aloud as the sheer length tends to be intimidating to the younger set. It's probably a good hour of reading.

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

3-2-2009

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Our Amazing Bridges

Our Holy Faith Series

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe Cut'n'Color Kit

Our Musical Year

Our Pioneers and Patriots

Our Roman Roots

Our Sunday Visitor's 2008 Catholic Almanac

Owls in the Family

Paddle-to-the-Sea

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