Grades 3-5

I recently read St. Patrick's Summer aloud to my children. They absolutely loved it! Frequently, they begged for "just a little more," and I enjoyed it so much that I often obliged.

The set-up: Michael and Cecelia need help preparing for their First Holy Communions, but Mrs. Murphy, their teacher, is at her wits' end. She says their questions would stump a bishop. So she asks St. Patrick to help and he does so in a most unusual way: by appearing to the children, showing them events from the past, and answering their questions.

When my friend came back from a Catholic homeschooling conference she was excited to present this set of DVDs to me, since I teach art at our local co-op. I shared in her excitement even before previewing it: a complete elementary school art curriculum, written by a Nashville Dominican sister? Wow.

The Blackbird's Nest is the story of St. Kevin of Ireland (498 A.D-618 A.D.). I first became acquainted with his legend in Seamus Heaney's poem, St Kevin and the Blackbird. In both Heaney's poem and in this beautiful picture book it's a fabulous story about a real historical figure, the abbot and founder of the monastery at Glendalough.

My Books of Prayers is a nice booklet to keep handy, too. The prayers are the standard ones -- although for some reason the "Guardian Angel prayer" is a bit of an insipid version and the traditional "Morning Offering" is not included. Otherwise, I think this is a great little prayer book.

The book is divided into two major components -- prayers and the liturgical year. The prayers section includes:

The My First Missal is a wonderful, purse- or pocket-sized missal to carry with you to Church. And don't be fooled by the title. Whenever I see "my first", I think of little children and lots of pictures. This missal has lots going for it and would be suitable for children who have already received their First Communion and First Reconciliation. The text is not babyish or overly simplified.

The 3-D Passion Play Cut ‘n Color Kit creates a spectacular miniature theater when completed. It displays in a circle format and includes four ready-to-color, 3-dimensional scenes (The Last Supper, The Agony in the Garden, The Crucifixion, and the Resurrection). Three are back to back on the bottom and one is perched on top. (You might like to display it on a lazy-susan in order to change between scenes). Easy-to-follow, step-by-step, illustrated instructions are provided to insure success.

The Woven Cross Kit provides materials for three beautiful woven crosses. Each kit comes with thin strips of vellum paper 3 ½” x 3” (The primary kit colors are green, purple, and black with gold accents), gold rhinestuds, red metal hearts, and step-by-step illustrated instructions. The quality and beauty of the materials are impressive. The project also comes in in a Pastel kit.

Cultivating a devotion to the Blessed Sacrament through Eucharistic Adoration is an excellent way to keep children Catholic. Those who love Jesus in the Sacrament are less likely to leave Him and will have a lifelong joy in His presence. But, from my own experience taking my children to Adoration, it does take planning and preparation. What is a young child to think, say, and do while sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament for a whole hour? This book gives some practical suggestions in the form of planned outlines for three different Adoration hours.

This is a compact, readable story of the life of Pope Benedict. It focuses mainly on his young life and early manhood and moves quickly through his 24 years as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The most interesting parts are the descriptions of Pope Benedict’s life as young Joseph Ratzinger, a youth in Germany during Hitler’s reign. It’s obvious God had special plans for Joseph as he and his family were spared the more rigorous persecution others endured.

Alvin returns in another thrilling adventure in Alvin Fernald, Foreign Trader. This time his “Magnificent Brain” has created the prize winning tasty concoction of "Fernald’s Fireballs" that propels him, his friend Shoie, and his sister Daphne on a whirlwind European tour.