Alicia Van Hecke

Strengthened by God/The Great Deluge

Book cover: 'Strengthened by God/The Great Deluge'
Author(s): 
Bruce Carroll
Kim Hohman
Strengthened by God is the story of David and Goliath and The Great Deluge is the story of Noah's Ark. Like the other RMP tapes, these are "audio dramas" - dramatic presentations of the stories with full casts, sound effects and music. They really make the Bible stories come alive. The Great Deluge is probably a bit too graphic for small children (the narrator makes mention of people seeing dead bodies in the rivers and the sound effects includes crying and wailing noises).

Tomie dePaola's Book of Bible Stories

Book cover: Tomie de Paola's Book of Bible Stories
Author(s): 
Tomie dePaola
Illustrator(s): 
Tomie dePaola

Tomie de Paola is a unique illustrator with artwork in a woodcut or icon-like style (I can't decide which.) I thought his artwork was more suited to The Lady of Guadalupe but I like the content of his Bible stories and appreciate the "Index of Bible Text" in the back. This would be a suitable book for acquainting preschoolers with the major stories of the Bible.

The Miracles of Jesus

Book cover: The Miracles of Jesus (dePaola)
Author(s): 
Tomie dePaola
Illustrator(s): 
Tomie dePaola

This book is a beautiful way to help your children learn to know and love Jesus. With many simple pictures (but nicely done) and just enough details of the story, Tomie de Paola relates how Jesus helped others while he was on earth. Stories include: The Wedding at Cana, The Catch of Fishes, The Calming of the Storm, The Loaves and The Fishes, Jesus Walks on the Water, The Paralyzed Man, The Centurion's Servant, Jesus Heals the Lepers and The Raising of Lazarus. (13 stories altogether) My children love to hear about how good Jesus is and how much he loves them.

The Parables of Jesus

Book cover: The Parables of Jesus
Author(s): 
Tomie dePaola

In a similar manner to The Miracles of Jesus, Tomie de Paola presents seventeen of Jesus' parables. This book makes them very accessible to small children and may even be the start of some interesting little discussions with your children about why Jesus told these stories. Some of the text of the parables is very brief.

Catholic Children's Treasure Box, Volumes 7 and 8

Book cover: 'Catholic Children's Treasure Box 7'
Author(s): 
Maryknoll Sisters

These two volumes of the Treasure Box Books contain a very simple story of Mary's life, appropriate for very young children. The full-color illustrations are quite charming. Please note that this story has the marriage of Mary and Joseph come before the Annunciation, which is not in accordance with the actual Bible account. Perhaps the authors felt that very young children weren't ready to understand this part of the story.

The Lady of Guadalupe

Book cover: The Lady of Guadalupe
Author(s): 
Tomie dePaola

This has been one of my family's very favorite picture books since our oldest was a toddler. It is a beautiful re-telling of a beautiful story with illustrations that complement it nicely and which are very appealing to children. I especially like Tomie de Paola's attention to detail. It's informative enough to be interesting even for adults.

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima

DVD box: The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima

This is a full length color movie of the story of Our Lady's apparitions to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. It is faithful to the true story with just enough "Hollywood" to make it entertaining and likable even for the little ones. The scene where the three children are interrogated by the government officials might be is a little intense, so I wouldn't recommend having your little ones watch it without supervision. Otherwise, it's a great film for the whole family. My daughter (almost 6 years old) received this for Easter (Thank you Grandma! : ) and absolutely loved it.

Faith and Life Religion Series

Book cover: 'Faith and Life Religion Series, Book 1'
Author(s): 
Catholics United for the Faith

This is a very popular religion series for Catholic homeschoolers. There are probably many reasons for this: they're reasonably priced, they're filled with beautiful selections of fine religious art, and they're unquestionably orthodox. The series incorporates questions from The Baltimore Catechism for memorization. Some homeschoolers don't like the brief content (the text contains approximately one lesson per week - although there is also a work book, teacher's manual and extensive resource guide available for each grade).

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