Susan Kalis

God's Little Flower, the Story of St. Therese of Lisieux

Author(s): 
Chris Driscoll
Illustrator(s): 
Patrick Kelley
St. Therese of Lisieux is a very popular saint whose life story is easily understood by children. While not full of action and adventure, her life story's simplicity and sweetness are appealing to even the most worldly of children. This lovely picture book, with its carefully chosen vocabulary and sentence structures, is written on a level that will allow a 3rd-grade and up child to read it for himself or herself. The full-page illustrations are attractive, colorful, simple, and modern in style, adding to the story rather than overwhelming it.

Holy Names of Jesus: Devotions, Litanies, and Meditations

Book cover: Holy Names of Jesus: Devotions, Litanies, and Meditations
Author(s): 
Ann Ball

Did you know that Jesus is also known as "Divine Mercy" and "The Incarnate Word"? OK, those were easy ones. Do you know the story of the "Infant Jesus of Prague" or "The Black Christ of Esquipulas"? Mrs. Ball has written an interesting book describing the numerous names by which Our Lord has been known throughout time and throughout the world. The earliest names, of course, come from the Bible, but many of the others have been made known through the writings of the saints, visions, and documented miracles. Others are simply devotional.

Schola Latina

Author(s): 
Ken Stephenson

After several challenging years of teaching beginning Latin to my elementary-grade children, I have finally found exactly the book that I wish I had had available from the beginning. Not only is this book classical in orientation and Christian in content, but it is also very well-organized and easy to use. This program can be begun as early as third grade by a motivated student with excellent reading fluency and some grammar knowledge, but it will be beneficial for a beginning Latin student of any age.

American History, Grade 5

Author(s): 
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Edmund J. Goebel
Sister Mary Richardine
John E. O'Laughlin
There is no shortage of reprinted United States for elementary Catholic students, but this one designed for fifth grade offers a unique perspective. The student's text is an overview of American history from the discovery period through to 1963, with the final chapters on the history of machines and transportation and the Constitution.

Christ the King, Lord of History - Answer Key

Author(s): 
Rachel Szilagyi
(for the textbook written by Anne Carroll and reviewed above)

Which busy homeschooling mother couldn't use some extra time in her day? I used to avoid purchasing answer keys and other helps, thinking that the money was better spent in other ways. As my family has grown and my children's work has become more time-consuming and difficult, I have found real value and genuine time savings in having a well-produced answer key. I'm still able to correct first grade math without a key, but not high school history!

My Catholic Speller (Level F)

Book cover: 'My Catholic Speller (Level F)'

This text, designed for the 6th-7th grade student, contains lessons for 34 weeks, including 4 quarterly review weeks, an answer key, and teaching instructions. The list words for the first 6 weeks review the various vowel and vowel phonogram sounds in new word lists, and the next 16 weeks focus on prefixes, suffixes, and some spelling trouble spots. The final word lists are devoted to derivatives of Latin and Greek roots, and one lesson on foreign words used in English.

Legends of Saints and Beasts

Book cover: 'Legends of Saints and Beasts'
Author(s): 
Ann Marie Jauss

What a lovely book! Legends of Saints and Beasts retells the stories of four saints and their associations with animals. Included in this beautiful hardbound collection are the stories of Saint Jerome and the lion, Saint Roch and his dog, Saint Francis and the Wolf, and Saint Macarius and the hyena. The text is written in a decorative style in which capital letters are colored in a pattern reminiscent of medieval texts, and the colorful line-drawn illustrations are charming.

A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families

Book cover: 'A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families'
Author(s): 
Monica McConkey
with laminated "jelly-proof" covers

During the past few years, there has been a renewed interest in beginning and in continuing traditions within our families within the context of the liturgical year. This book has been written to help make these celebrations easier to plan as well as to provide countless new ideas. Some of these ideas are original while others are traditional. This book is especially well-suited for families with children in the preschool years up through the late elementary years.

My Catholic Speller (Level E)

Book cover: 'My Catholic Speller (Level E)'
Author(s): 
Nancy Nicholson

Level E is the 5th-6th grade text in this series, providing 34 weeks of spelling lessons with quarterly reviews. The book is now bound with a lay-flat spiral binding, making it easier for the student to write in the book. Spaces for the student's work include a dashed middle line, allowing for handwriting practice–-an important and overlooked element in teaching spelling. The particular copy of the text that I have is printed on a smooth, erasable, bright-white paper, but there is some show-through of the ink from the printing on the other side of the paper.

Chats With God's Little Ones

Book cover: 'Chats With God's Little Ones'
Author(s): 
Mrs. Margaret Mary Myers

Chats With God's Little Ones is a unique Catholic religion course for the youngest of students from pre-kindergarten up through the second grade. Written to the teacher, the lessons are designed to be used orally with the student in a Charlotte Mason three-step style of asking the child, answering with the child, and the re-telling by the child. The lessons are presented as guided scripts for the teacher, who can personalize them and adapt them to the needs and interest of the child.

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