This is essentially a brief training manual written to help parents successfully raise children in difficult times. It appears to be written especially for caring parents whose children are attending public or private schools. Although it is not explicitly Catholic in content, the teachings and basic principles presented are essentially Catholic (and the author is Catholic).

Society bombards parents with many questionable philosophies regarding the raising of children. Some are well-meaning, but misguided and can fairly easily be "repaired" with a little common sense. Others are unequivocally disastrous when implemented. In a double-whammy, society bombards our children with many negative influenes that compromise those principles that we most want to instill in them.

The author simply and realistically cuts through all this confusion and shows the truth of traditional Judeo-Christian teachings to be the right and practical answer. Parents will learn to distinguish these sound teachings from Humanistic/Atheistic and New Age teachings and understand the devastating consequences of these erroneous philosophies.

The book discusses the significance of basic parenting styles and how these styles (warm-restrictive, cold-restrictive, warm-permissive or cold-permissive) will impact your children. Other chapters on praenting cover:

• "Conscience: Its Role in Developing Empathy and Compassion" and
  
• "The Great Self-Esteem Hoax: Relaxed Standards Created Restlessness, Dissatisfaction and a Hunger to Get More for Less"

The remainder of the book covers the great moral dangers children are faced with today - values education (including suicide education, sexual orientation education and AIDS education), sex education and pornography, televised violence and drug abuse. Although these chapters are primarily designed to warn and inform parents of school children to the related dangers, this makes valuable reading for homeschool parents as well. Besides, reminding us of some of the reasons we homeschool, the author provides many insights into human nature and many other helpful tidbits.

Each of the eight chapters provides a summary and "helpful tips" segment. The book also provides a chart comparing three major philosophies relating to raising and educating children: Judeo-Christian, Humanistic/Philosophical Atheism and Cosmic Humanism (New Age Thinking). An extensive bibliography and index are included in the back of the book. Highly recommended.

The true story of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, an Irish prince who fought the English Invaders at the time of Queen Elizabeth. This is a fast paced story – quite exciting and with a touch of romance. The hardships endured by Red Hugh, particularly during his imprisonment, are a bit graphic, but probably not too intense for mid-gradeschoolers and up. We are reminded of Red Hugh's faith when he asks the English to let him see a priest. The request is refused and the reader is introduced to the tactics of indoctrination, used to attempt to sway the hero from his Irish and Catholic loyalties. This will probably be a favorite among boys who like stories about battles, chases, and the victory of good over evil.

Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow retells the classic story of Robin Hood and his men in the Sherwood Forest in the adventure of the archery contest. The villainous Sheriff of Nottingham intends to trap Robin at the contest but the Merry Men turn the tables in this lighthearted retelling for younger children. The oversize format and colorful watercolors bring the well-known story to life, adding some details from the original sources. The Author's Note at the end of the book explains a little about the origins and sources of the classic tale.