"In writing this volume, the purpose has been to acquaint our children with biographies that will have some particular influence on the development of their characters. Each story has been planned as a real character-training project, not merely as a reading lesson to inspire admiration for faith and religious heroism." (From the Foreword)

I think the author does an admirable job in achieving his purpose. We are shown how the Saints were real people who struggled with things like bad tempers and parents who just didn't understand their religious fervor. Some became great saints by just doing the little everyday things well and out of love while others showed incredible heroism through the most agonizing tortures and martyrdom.

The book covers 25 Saint stories, from 6 to 18 pages each, with comprehension questions for each story. We are presented with a variety of Saints of every age with a true diversity of personalities, difficulties to overcome and social classes. The chronological order and selection would also make this a very worthwhile supplement to a study of World History.

The comprehension questions seem suited to mid-grade school (perhaps grades 3-6) but the stories themselves would be appropriate for a wide age range (probably from first grade through adult if care is taken with regard to some of the "scarier" martyr stories for the very young ones).

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. She says that her goal is "that a study of some of His holy names will call forth a greater love of Him Who is Love" (p. 9). In addition to the main text, Mrs. Ball includes the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, a lovely prayer, as well as an extensive bibliography.

This book is laid out in short sections that may be read in a few minutes while providing food for thought for hours. Forty-four names by which Jesus is known have been listed and described, with a short prayer or meditation after many of them. Those names whose origin is well-known have longer passages than those names that are less familiar. I must admit that two of the passages struck me as a bit odd: the one titled "Cosmic Christ–-Jesus, Priest" which is a modern piece of poetry and the one titled "Jesus, Our Mother", which is a commentary of the universal natures of Christ. Both seemed out of place and less than reverent, but the book has both the "nihil obstat" and an imprimatur. Most of the remaining names were familiar to me and quite traditional.

This nice pamphlet is a simple introduction to Catholic customs and keeping Advent and Christmas meaningful and holy. The Advent segment overviews traditions such as the Advent Wreath, Jesse Tree and Advent Calendar and makes suggestions for remember the great Marian feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are brief explanations of the symbolism and history of some of these customs as well as relevant tidbits. The Christmas segment covers Christmas Mass, the Nativity Scene, Christmas Trees, Candles, Exchanging Gifts and Sharing a Feast, helping readers understand the religious significance and importance of each. The pamphlet concludes with a "Christmas Season" segment which includes the Solemity of Mary, the Mother of God; the Epiphany and the Baptism of Our Lord.

This inexpensive booklet ($12.95 for 50) is a good start for those wishing to better understand Catholic customs and a holy celebration of Christmas. You would need to do further research to implement some of the customs in your home, but the information is readily available on the Internet and elsewhere.

I Am Special is a religious education course for three-year-old children, designed for a group-style, parish religious education program. A fully scripted, highly organized and well-planned teacher's guide allows the teacher to get the most out of the program without requiring special training or unusual materials. The student activity book and flannel board figures packet feature full-color cartoon-style artwork that may appeal to very young children. Most activities are group-oriented, but many of them could be adapted for homeschooling use with some modification.

This religious education program contains 30 lessons and assumes that one lesson will be completed in a one-hour class each week. Unit One includes thirteen lessons designed to help children develop positive attitudes about themselves by learning about names, hands, feet, and the five senses. Unit Two's eleven lessons investigate various things given to us by God, such as families, friends, animals, and trees. Unit Three's five lessons focus on the holidays of Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter/Spring. The final lesson is on Growing. A heavy emphasis is placed on music and singing, as well as finger play activities, of which some are original and others traditional. An optional music cassette or CD is available but was not reviewed. Each lesson's craft activities may require a teaching assistant as many involve cooking, baking, scissors, or messy materials. Despite the detailed organization, considerable preparation time is necessary for many lessons.

One weakness of this popular program is that it is generically Christian. I can easily see this course being used in a preschool religious education classroom of any Christian denomination. The religious content includes a very brief, original, conversational prayer in each lesson, references to God with very simplistic adaptations of Bible verses, and a very simple retelling of the Christmas and Easter stories. No content was noted as being specifically Catholic. No priest, religious, or saint figure appears among the 105 flannel board figures. There are no church or crucifix images. There are no traditional Catholic prayers, even the very simplest Sign of the Cross, other than a meal blessing. No catechetical information of any kind is taught directly. With such a strong emphasis on music, this course could have easily begun teaching basic Catholic prayers or traditional hymns by taking advantage of the ability of children of this age to memorize easily.