Alicia Van Hecke

Brother Joseph: The Painter of Icons

Book cover: Brother Joseph: The Painter of Icons
Author(s): 
Fr. Augustine DeNoble, O.S.B.
Illustrator(s): 
Judith Brown

Tom was an ordinary boy who loved being outdoors and drawing whatever he saw. Although Tom found school distasteful, his teacher, Sister Aquinas, saw artistic talent in him and encouraged him and lent him books on religious art. He discovered that his favorite artist was Fra Angelico. He attended a high school seminary and discovered that he wanted to be a monk. There he becomes Brother Joseph and finds that his artistic talents are put to good use.

Chanticleer and the Fox

Book cover: 'Chanticleer and the Fox'
Author(s): 
Barbara Cooney
Illustrator(s): 
Barbara Cooney
This is an illustrated, children's adaptation of "The Nun's Priest's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It's a simple moral tale, reminiscent of Aesop's Fables, with a lesson about the dangers of flattery and pride. A prideful rooster faces danger as he is flattered by a cunning fox. Truly a classic.

The Little Bear Treasury

Book cover: 'The Little Bear Treasury'
Author(s): 
Else Holmelund Minarik
This treasury incorporates the stories Little Bear, Little Bear's Friend and Little Bear's Visit - sweet stories from the "I Can Read" series of the 1950s and 60s. Little Bear is a walking and talking bear who makes friends with other animals and a girl named Emily. The stories involve humorous adventures and stories told by Little Bear's parents and grandparents. The stories involving Little Bear and his mother are especially sweet and portray some of the simple questions and worries of childhood. Another family favorite.

Catholic Traditions in Crafts

Book cover: 'Catholic Traditions in Crafts'
Author(s): 
Ann Ball
This book includes 23 pages of Crafts relating to Christmas. There really isn't an Advent segment, but as Advent is a time for preparing for Christmas, it is certainly an appropriate time to make crafts for Christmas. Mrs. Ball explains that it would certainly be possible to write an entire book on crafts for Christmas, but that here she is providing only a sampling.

Living the Liturgical Year: Volume 1

Book cover: 'Living the Liturgical Year: Volume 1'
Author(s): 
Paula McEneany
This new book on the liturgical year was published last year by a recent homeschool graduate. The segment on Advent covers 34 pages (the pages are 8 1/2 x 11 inches with very dense text - so this is quite a bit of material). Miss McEneany, has provided a very thorough, updated resource for Advent traditions by bringing together detailed instructions, ideas and explanations from a wide variety of resources (including quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and explanations about traditions from the Byzantine rite).

My Heart Lies South

Book cover: 'My Heart Lies South: The Story of My Mexican Marriage (Young People's Edition)'
Author(s): 
Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
Elizabeth Borton de Trevino is best known as the author of children's stories, especially I, Juan de Pareja which won the Newbery Award in 1966). Long before all that, in the 1930s, she was simply Elizabeth Borton, a modern American lady, living in Boston and working as a journalist, when she was given an assignment in Monterrey, Mexico. There she met, was courted by and eventually married a native by the name of Luis Trevino.

Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls

Book Cover: 'Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls, vol 1'

These charming readers, which are appropriate for a second grade reading level, contain "stories written and compiled in days long past by Catholic nuns in America and dedicated to Mary the Mother of God our dear Lady of the Miraculous Medal." My second grader (who is somewhat advanced in reading level) enjoyed these very much and polished off all four volumes in the first week of school - including one book which she read straight through without putting it down (she requested that I include that detail in the review).

Catholic Children's Treasure Box Books 1-6, story of St. Therese

A multi-part story of St. Therese's life is told in these six books with lovely colorful illustrations. This version would be especially appealing to three to six year old children. The story includes quite a few interesting details focusing on Therese's acts of sacrifices and offerings to God of everything she did - both those things that were hard for her to do (such as giving some flowers that she had just picked to her grandmother to use at the altar) to those things that she enjoyed doing. Also included are instructions for making the St.

Little Therese

Book cover: 'Little Therese'
Author(s): 
Adapted from Pere J. Carbonel, S.J.
This biography of St. Therese of Lisieux for children emphasizes the story of her childhood, her simple spirituality as taught to her by her family with an emphasis on the little acts of sacrifice she made and how that helped her to develop control of her will. The story includes many details of Therese's childhood and family life that Catholic homeschool families will relate to. It is told in a way that encourages young children to offer little sacrifices to God in imitation of this saint. I was particularly amused to hear that St.

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