Alicia Van Hecke

My Catholic Speller (Level C)

Book cover: 'My Catholic Speller (Level C)'

Level C, intended for use with fourth graders, incorporates a variety of fun and creative techniques to learn spelling words in 34 weeks of lessons. New list words are presented in both cursive and print. Crossword puzzles, fill-in-the blanks, dictionary work and word searches complement the recommended oral study, mid-week quiz and final test. Catholic content is elegantly woven into the text, helping children make connections between their faith and other subjects.

Stations of the Cross for Children Poster Set

Book cover: 'Stations of the Cross for Children Poster Set'
Author(s): 
Julianne Will

This is a very nice, very inexpensive, large-size set of the Stations of the Cross created especially for children (the same pictures as are in the Stations of the Cross for Children book, also reviewed here) appropriate for homes and classrooms. The drawings are simple (they remind me a little of Tomie dePaola's drawings) and what my husband would describe as "sanitized".

The Mitchells: Five for Victory

Book cover: 'The Mitchells: Five for Victory'
Author(s): 
Hilda Van Stockum
This is a charming and thoughtful story of an American family of five children during World War II (based on Hilda Van Stockum's own family) whose father is away at war. The family is very real with plenty of worries and troubles...but they manage to find joy with each other. For independent reading, it could be one your children's first full-length chapter books.Wit and wisdom make it a can't miss for adults as well (a perfect read-aloud). This has been a favorite with our family (for children as young as four or five) for many years.

Canadian Summer

Book cover: 'Canadian Summer'
Author(s): 
Hilda Van Stockum
Canadian Summer continues the story of the Mitchell Family (this is the second book in the series) several years after World War II. Baby Catherine has joined the family. Father is back from the war and has moved to Quebec for his job. He has difficulty finding housing for the family, but finally makes arrangements and sends Mother, Granny and the children up on the train. Upon arriving, the ladies are shocked to find that accomodations consist of a remote ski cabin lacking electricity or running water. Doctors and stores are many miles away and transportation is nearly impossible.

Friendly Gables

Book cover: 'Friendly Gables'
Author(s): 
Hilda Van Stockum
Friendly Gables is the final book in the Mitchell's Series and our favorite of the bunch.The family has recently settled into a large, comfortable house in Quebec. Mother has just given birth to twins and a cranky nurse comes to help. The children are adjusting to life in Canada - including French schools and a boy who's itching to pick a fight with "Yankee" boys.

"The Shop of Ghosts"

Book cover: '"The Shop of Ghosts"'
Author(s): 
G.K. Chesterton
Found on pages 82-86 of G.K. Chesterton Collected Works Volume XIV, 1993, Ignatius Press, 802 pages, softcover, Catholic perspective

This is a charming and humorous story about the spirit of Christmas through the ages. Good for a chuckle and a little perspective.

The volume in which this story can be found is available from Ignatius Press
You can also read this story online by clicking here

The Friendly Beasts

Book cover: 'The Friendly Beasts: An Old English Christmas Carol'
Illustrator(s): 
Tomie de Paola
"The Friendly Beasts" is a lovely old English Christmas carol (the words and music are included in their entirety on the last page). Tomie de Paola has drawn beautiful pictures, in his signature style, to accompany the words to this song. (We didn't know the song before we came across the book. Now we tend to sing it, rather than read it, to the children.) It has been a favorite in our family partly because of it's beautiful simplicity and is frequently requested (even when it's nowhere near Christmastime) by our younger children.

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