Elementary

Rosary Rummy

This is a lovely and inexpensive Rummy game that also teaches the mysteries of the rosary. It includes two colorful cards, illustrated with Old Masters paintings, for each 0f the twenty mysteries of the rosary. The Rummy game requires both matching and ordering the mysteries. Instructions are included. So far, we've been using it as a memory game - and even my five year old (who admittedly is a memory enthusiast) loves it.

First Farm in the Valley: Anna's Story

Author(s): 
Anne Pellowski
Illustrator(s): 
Roseanne Sharpe
It’s back in print! One of my favorite series for young children, the Latsch Valley Farm series (formerly called Polish American Girls series), is being reprinted. The first in the series, First Farm in the Valley: Anna’s Story is now available from Bethlehem Books with lovely new illustrations. Enter into the world of six-year-old Anna and her large Polish family as she grows up in rural Wisconsin during the 1870s.

Take it to the Queen

Author(s): 
Josephine Nobisso
Illustrator(s): 
Katalin Szegedi
The long awaited companion to The Weight of a Mass (Nobisso, Gingerbread House Books) is finally available. In her new story Take it to the Queen, a Tale of Hope, Josephine Nobisso tells a fable that draws upon the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her material and mystical participation in our salvation. The villagers of a once favored city rebel against the goodness of the King, bringing famine and desolation. Eventually they seek the intervention of their queen, who was once of their village.

My Advent Calendar

This is a very simple advent calendar with little doors to open each day of Advent. The price is very reasonable, but the quality is suitable for a one-time use (it would be difficult to close the doors a second time around). The illustrations are very simple with some glittery high-lights but my favorite feature is a simple task (though some are very generic) printed on the inside of each door for the child to do to prepare for Christmas.

Owls in the Family

Author(s): 
Farley Mowat
Owls in the Family is a wonderful story of a few years in the life of a young boy growing up in Canada, his friends, and his unusual pets. This tale, by distinguished author Farley Mowat, is told in the first person, recounting hilarious episodes with colorful descriptions, proving that real life can be even more fun than a made-up story. Billy’s newest pets, horned owls named Wol and Weeps, add an entirely new dimension to an already chaotic, pet-filled home.

The Holy Mass in My Pocket

Illustrator(s): 
Mary Joseph Peterson, FSP
This is an inexpensive, small and thin book with the text and rubrics of the Mass for children. Illustrations show different parts of the mass, both in the pews and in the sanctuary. Rubrics include such explanations as "Here we bow until the words..." and "The Apostle's Creed is said in Canada and in some masses for children". The illustration for the reception of Holy Communion shows a child receiving the host in his hands.

Philomena

Author(s): 
Kate Seredy
Illustrator(s): 
Kate Seredy
We discovered this little gem years ago, after falling in love with two of the authors' other books: The Good Master and The Singing Tree. I was thrilled to recently discover that Bethlehem Books is bringing it back into print. The story begins in a small village near Prague.

The Good Land

Author(s): 
Loula Grace Erdman
Years ago the telephone company ran an ad that sang, “Reach out, reach out and touch someone.” But what if you were too afraid to reach out? What if you were too ashamed of your new circumstances to ask for help? That is the situation for the Warren family, a family that moves to the Texas Panhandle in The Good Land. Carolyn is the youngest member of the Pierce family. At fifteen, she feels on the verge of adulthood. In her mind, however, everyone seems to treat her as the “baby” of the family and she resents it. Can’t they see how mature she is?

The Secret of the Ruby Ring

Author(s): 
Yvonne MacGrory
Illustrator(s): 
Terry Myler
If you looked into the mirror of your soul, would you like what you saw? What if the mirror was represented by another person? Lucy is a modern Irish girl who has everything, a nice home and a loving family. On top of that, she is an outstanding student. But when she doesn't win the coveted prize for the best composition in her class, Lucy is devastated. Assuming she was going to win, because she had won before, Lucy is bitter, angry and nasty to her best friend when she wins the prize, clearly revealing that Lucy is one very spoiled child. Not for long, however.

Guns for General Washington. A Story of the American Revolution

Author(s): 
Seymour Reit
The future looks dim for the Continental army. With scare firewood, little needed supplies of food, blankets and muskets, meager shelter, and disorganized soldiers deserting, the prospects of winning the war, let alone recapturing Boston look doubtful. To compound the problem, their munitions supply is dwindling fast and they have no heavy artillery to defend themselves or create an offensive attack. Aboard the HMS Somerset General Howe, the commander of the British army, is anxiously awaiting reinforcements. But Col. Henry Knox is not one to sit idle and wait.

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