I am so excited to post a review on this new coloring book! My girls and I spent a great part of the last weekend working on these beautiful pictures to color! Sean Fitzpatrick, the artist, knows very well what gets young artists to want to grab those colored pencils...

The illustrations are fairly simple for young hands and yet a more experienced artist can have a lot of fun with it. Hillside Education's site offers the suggestion of brushing the finished pictures with vegetable oil for a stained glass effect, and we did that!

Fenestrae Fidei is a companion book to Catholic Mosaic, also by Hillside Education, yet may be perfectly well used alone. For each of the illustrations, which are depicted in calendar (and liturgical) year order, there is a brief explanatory paragraph.

If you want to do it with Catholic Mosaic, a great idea would be to occupy the readers with the coloring activity while the picture book is read aloud. (Catholic Mosaic is a compendium of study/activity guides on numerous Catholic-theme picture books – many of which can be found through your local library).

Fenestrae Fidei (or, in English, "Windows of Faith") comes in a spiral bound format, with a large black & white drawing on each page. There are lots of them, as Catholic Mosaic author Cay Gibson lists four picture books per month. The drawings are all in a stylized iconic style, varying somewhat in intensity of detail. And they are just beautiful!

I would have liked to see a heavier stock paper in the pages, but what we have been doing is scanning and printing copies for home use. This allows for several children, for instance, to work on the same pictures at any time. Hillside Publications allows for coying within one family, which is of course a wonderful advantage.

Fenestrae Fidei is a very Catholic book, reflecting events of the life of Our Lord, the tradition of our Church and the holiness of the saints.

Families today are fortunate to have a product such as this!

Companion to First Confession from Our Lady's Catechists.

In a style very similar to its companion volume, this little book teaches everything that an elementary-school-aged child needs to know to prepare for a holy First Communion. These books may be the first "homeschooling" books ever written on this topic! From page 1: "It should not be forgotten that the ultimate responsibility for the child's spiritual upbringing rests on the parents." Charming full-color illustrations appear throughout the book.

The fourteen lessons describe what Holy Communion is, why we need Holy Communion, and how to prepare to receive Our Lord. In addition, lessons include several Bible stories that provide a gentle apologetic introduction to the Eucharist such as the manna in the desert, miracles performed by Our Lord, and the Last Supper. Prayers for both before and after the reception of Holy Communion are included as well as a "review" question-and-answer page. The lesson titled "On the Day" gives instruction for receiving the Eucharist kneeling and on the tongue, but the general tone of reverence is very applicable for those who receive in the hand. The current one-hour fast rule has been updated in the text from that in practice when originally published.

Companion to First Communion from Our Lady's Catechists.

In twelve lessons, this little book teaches everything that an elementary-school-aged child needs to know to prepare for a holy First Confession. The text is written in the second person, for the teacher to read to the student, and assumes no exceptional degree of teaching experience. Most of the lessons use short stories to illustrate the point being made. A homeschooling parent can simply pick up the book, sit down with their student, and spend their lesson time comfortably and profitably.

Lessons describe what sin is, how sins are taken away, how to stir up contrition, how to tell our sins and make satisfaction for them, how to identify our sins, as well as how to avoid sin. Also included is the correct manner in which to confess and short prayers for before and after confession. The prayer pages are designed for the student to read and are printed in a larger font with a simpler vocabulary. The penultimate page is titled "Revision", but the more familiar American term is "Review". This page contains a complete review with answers that is more concise and direct than memorizing lengthy catechism questions. The inside back cover includes teaching notes for several of the lessons. In use for nearly fifty years, the information and teaching style of this book is timeless and applies equally well to our modern times. Charming full-color illustrations appear throughout the book.