All ages

Tin Cups & Tinder

Author(s): 
Alice Cantrell
Alice Cantrell’s newest book, Tin Cups & Tinder : A Catholic Boy’s Little Book of Fire, Food & Fun arrived the same day I was pondering ways to liven up my son’s education. While considering if we were called to homeschool my little boy, I had some serious concerns over whether I could provide enough enrichment for him, as my interests tend to be very domestic and feminine.

Getting Started with Spanish

Author(s): 
William E. Linney and Antonio Luis
This is very much the same method used in the author's other language book entitled Getting Started with Latin, which I also reviewed at http://www.love2learn.net/node/1793. Amazon reviews are consistently positive and this reviewer agrees. Lessons are presented at times in tiny digestible pieces, and build from there. Since my native language is very close to Spanish, it was so interesting to me to see how Lesson One was all about articles-- so important in Romance languages: all four lines and five examples. Job done.

The Beautiful Story of Jesus

Author(s): 
Maite Roche
Translator(s): 
Marianne Lorraine Trouve', FSP
This is the second book by the French author Maite Roche I review for Love2Learn. Her illustrations are simply wonderful: simple, colorful, kid-friendly, warm, adorable, and yet with plenty of detail! In this volume she is able to retell the life of Our Lord for children and readers will find there most of the important events of His life on this world. From the Annunciation to Pentecost, the text will lead the child to all of the highlights of Jesus' life. The main events of His life are there, and also the Sermon on the Mount, the Multiplication the Bread, and more.

A Continual Feast

Author(s): 
Evelyn Birge Vitz
My cooking is simple, ordinary, and I seldom follow recipes. But one recipe I have gone back to again and again is the Four-Egg Cake in A Continual Feast cookbook by Evelyn Birge Vitz. That is a wonderful sacrament cake--First Holy Communions, Confirmations, Baptisms, Weddings-- I have made it again and again, for over twelve years, and have had consistent, excellent results! The recipe is a wonderful from-scratch experience, and the kids love to help as each step progresses towards a marvelous tasting result!

The Seven Silly Eaters

Author(s): 
Mary Ann Hoberman
Illustrator(s): 
Marla Freeze
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman is neither a Catholic book, nor does it tell of a saint--it is not even around a religious theme. And yet, it is an all-time favorite in this seven-children Catholic family! The book tells about a family that grows and grows... almost every time we turn the page there is a new baby! The fact that they are silly--or fussy--eaters, which our kids have never been, matters little to us. The illustrations are absolutely captivating and darling, and the rhymes are known by all the kids, who can recite the book from cover to cover.

Advent in the Home

Author(s): 
Ellen C. Becker
Mary T. Barnes
My first impression when I opened Advent in the Home was, “Wow, it’s all here.” Normally in October I start filling my calendar with meaningful Advent activities; jotting down ideas on scraps of paper which I promptly lose and printing out coloring sheets until I run out of ink. This seems to be fairly common in homeschooling families. Aspiring to create a more spiritual tone to what has become an oppressively secular time of year can be quite overwhelming. There are just so many ideas spread out in books, periodicals, and on the Iinternet.

Saints of the Bible

Author(s): 
Theresa Doyle-Nelson
There are so many wonderful saints book out there-- our homeschool shelves are filled with them, and we read and re-read them! This one will be an unique addition to our collection as the saints highlighted within all come from the pages of Holy Scripture! So if you want to learn about Saint Onesimus, Saints Aquila and Priscilla, Holy Simeon or Jason, as well as the more well known saintly figures of the apostles and other better-known scriptural holy mean and women, add this small volume to your own collection!

Onions in My Boots

Author(s): 
Nancy Nicholson
I was very pleased to see Catholic Heritage Curricula offer a new gardening guide, Onions in my Boots by Nancy Nicholson. Onions in My Boots offers basic instructions for gardening at home. It is an easy read and is printed in child friendly font and format, making it well suited for children or their parents. It features sections on preparation and tools, flowers and houseplants, herbs and vegetables. Nicholson emphasizes adaptability, to both location and budget, and in this way makes gardening very accessible. The methods described are simple and practical.

Signs and Mysteries

Author(s): 
Mike Aquilina
Illustrator(s): 
Lea Marie Ravotti
Mike Aquilina's newest book, Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols is a great read and a great reference book in one. It's also an exquisite piece of art, thanks to the illustrations by Lea Marie Ravotti. (Do yourself a favor and click through to her site. Her work is gorgeous.) It's so easy to take illustrators for granted, isn't it? But one cannot do so with this book. The illustrations are integral; the book is, after all, about looking more closely at symbols, visual representations of the life of faith.

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