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In September 1965, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical titled Mysterium Fidei (Mystery of Faith) to provide the faithful with the teachings of the Catholic Church on the doctrine and worship of the Holy Eucharist. The first half of Catechism on the Real Presence is an eloquent question-and-answer catechism that carefully details each of the main points of Mysterium Fidei, cross-referenced to specific paragraphs in the document itself. The latter half of the book contains the entire text of the encyclical itself as a convenient reference. Also included are notes which refer to various Bible readings, encyclicals, and the writings of the Church fathers. Finally, a topical index points the reader to both the related questions in the catechism and the paragraph in Mysterium Fidei.

Father Hardon's ability to take a difficult subject and explain it with directness and simplicity shines in this catechism. The very first question tells us why we should make time to study this topic in depth both for ourselves as the catechists of our children and for our children themselves. Question 1 asks, "What is the most precious treasure of the Catholic Church?" The answer is, "The most precious treasure of the Catholic Church is the Holy Eucharist, which is the most fundamental truth of the Catholic faith." This book is a valuable addition to a high school level apologetics or doctrine class, or to a Confirmation preparation course for older students.

This book was designed for grades 7 through 9 to give "a vital, illustrated presentation of Catholic literature to help students 'see' and love Christ four ways always: in Himself, in Others, in His Creation, in His Mother." [from the back cover]

The author does this by first explaining how God is visible to us: In Himself (Seeing God: "Love the Lord thy God"), In Others ("Love thy Neighbor"), In Creation ("Consider the Lilies") and In His Mother ("Behold thy Mother"). The book reviews and brief author and illustrator biographies are broken up into these four categories. We are introduced to great authors of the past and present (at least as of 1949!) who have illustrated these concepts to us by use of real characters, action and life situations.The reviews themselves are rather brief - they really amount to short "teasers" - an attempt to interest students in reading these books. There are also a number of brief essays which elaborate on how some of the individual books teach us about God, even if indirectly.
Although Catholic Authors was designed for students, I think it should be required reading for homeschooling parents. Its value is two-fold for us: 1. A source of information about good reading for our children (although many of the books are out of print, others are available new from companies such as Bethlehem Books, TAN and Neumann Press). 2. An education for parents (without a huge amount of reading) in the importance of literature, and especially Catholic literature, in our children's education and spiritual formation.

This is a very cute and sturdy volume for children who are ready to begin enjoying the stories from the bible but not quite ready for the real thing yet. The paraphrasing is cross-referenced with the corresponding biblical passages and the language is warm and simple yet not overly toned down. Some important passages are kept in the traditional language, such as Psalm 23, the Beatitudes and the Our Father.

Here is an example of the language from the chapter Daniel in the Lions' Den:

The king quickly let Daniel out of the lions' cage, and the jealous men were put in his place. The lions quickly ate them up.

Author Ann Ball is well known to homeschool families: her book Catholic Traditions in the Home and Classroom seems to be in every Catholic homeschool. This friendly child-friendly volume will also serve Catholic families well in the homeschool, offering a curriculum option for Bible stories in the earlier grades.

As the back covers states, this book of Bible stories is "fully Catholic". Indeed, this is the case! It is so lovely to be able to give to our children a book of bible stories that corroborate the faith we teach them at home. Peter is referred to as the first pope, and Mary's Immaculate conception is discussed, along with her Assumption. One of the final chapters is entitled "The Bible and Sacred Tradition" and explains in simple terms the Church's teaching on Sacred, or Apostolic tradition. The illustrations are also very friendly-- although done in simple watercolors, they are attractive and professional. A cute "talking" goldfish named Icthus is introduced in the very beginning and pops up often throughout the book with the important lesson of the story.

The Catholic Bookmark Kit includes 15 ready-to-color 3” by 8” durable card stock bookmarks with 5 different designs, including a Psalm verse, several clever sayings, such as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (BIBLE), or a Catholic quote (“The worst prison is a closed heart” by Pope John Paul II), all reminding children of the spiritual values of their faith. The artwork is bold, dramatic, fun, and professional looking. To make them last even longer, you may want to laminate them.