Religion Elementary

"Long ago in a far distant land there lived a boy called Offero." So opens the story of St. Christopher, one of fourteen saint stories in In God's Garden. Written in a friendly story teller format, the book's primary audience is younger children, approximately preschool-age to 3rd grade.

Usually starting with the saint's birth and childhood, the story introduces children to legends and famous stories about that saint. Because of the fantastic quality of some of the stories, the parent may want to mention that some of the legends may not be true, like St. George killing a dragon, but we do know that the person was holy. In fact, the author does admit this in a few places when she comments, "Whether all this really happened we do not know; but one thing we are certain of . . . ."

Similar in style to Once Upon a Time Saints by Ethel Pochocki, the stories hold the reader's attention to the last word. Although the stories include facts from the saint's life, the stories are not biographies. They are stories written to introduce children to the saints and inspire them on to imitate their lives of holiness.

In the center of the book are color reproductions of paintings of the Saints by famous Italian artists such as Titian, Fra Angelico, Giotto, and others. The artwork is not dazzling compared to the bold, vibrant colors of some of today's picture books. They are, however, a way to introduce your children to some of the outstanding artists of the past.

In this, her latest book in the "Young Life" series, Mrs. Mohan introduces young readers to Mother Katherine Drexel (canonized in October 2000), the first American born, Catholic born saint.

Katherine Mary Drexel (Katie) was born to a wealthy Catholic family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1858. As a child she had everything she could wish for - a beautiful playhouse with "carpets, child-size furniture and even a full kitchen." Her parents and her teachers (the sisters from the convent nearby) instilled in her a love for Jesus, and especially the Blessed Sacrament. She struggled with many things familiar to families today - such as trying to understand why she had three sets of grandparents (her own mother died just after Katie was born and her father remarried). The story (which is the style of a first-person narrative - i.e. from the viewpoint of Katie herself) provides warm and personal details about the developing spiritual life of a child which provide an excellent example for young readers in counting their blessings and using their talents for good.

Katie and her two sisters lost their parents when they were still young ladies. Left with a vast fortune, they had to make decisions about suporting charitable organizations. Katie became interested in Missions on American Indian Reservations. Eventually she founded an order of nuns - the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. During her lifetime she "opened, staffed, and directly supported nearly sixty schools and missions" and dedicated her life to helping Native and African Americans throughout the United States.

This book includes the story (along with a picture) of two children who prayed to Mother Katherine Drexel for a cure for their little sister. Her miraculous cure was accepted by the Vatican as a true miracle in the investigation process for her canonization. The book also includes many charming black and white photos of Katie and her family, a chronology of her life, and a glossary.

Besides the worthwhile story of a great American saint, the book gives us a glimpse of life in 19th century America. Although many particulars of a Catholic family life are familiar to us today, evidence of the Victorian era are present in instances such as how the nurse explains to the children that their new little sister was brought by angels who visited their mama and papa during the night. The story is charming and gives the reader the feeling that they are really getting to know Mother Drexel very personally. Although I was disappointed with previous writings of Mrs. Mohan (I believe it was because I found the stories too terse, too brief) I thought this story was quite nice and I also appreciate the numerous black and white photos which make for an attractive and appealing book.

Litany offers two versions to play this game of 80 saint symbol cards (40 pairs). In the easier version, the object of the game is to match like cards as in the card game concentration. After finding two matching cards, the player calls out, “St. . . . , pray for us.” In the version of the game for older children, the game is slightly more complicated. Each game comes with 80 saint symbol cards, instructions, and a saint symbol information booklet that includes the name of the saint, when he or she lived, whether the saint was a martyr, bishop, confessor, etc., the symbol of the saint and why that symbol is associated with that saint.

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. Therese at first did not want to study her lessons and would hide from her mother. I know that this particular behavior is one that has frustrated a number of homeschooling mothers. They may be encouraged to know that Zelie Martin struggled with this too and may wish to ask Blessed Zelie and Saint Therese to gain the cooperation of their children. The book also includes numerous pen and ink illustrations (on almost every page) which highlight the ways in which St. Therese imitated Our Lord even as a small child. A sixteen page segment in the middle of the book provides a timeline and a number of black and white reproductions of photos and paintings depicting her life.