All ages

How to Celebrate Christmas as a Catholic

Book cover: 'How to Celebrate Christmas as a Catholic'
Author(s): 
Amy Welborn
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.

America's Great (and not so great) Catholic Moments: A Perpetual Calendar

Book cover: 'America's Great (and not so great) Catholic Moments: A Perpetual Calendar'
Author(s): 
Thomas J. Craughwell

This interesting, informative and often light-hearted perpetual calendar offers an event from Catholic history that took place on each date of the year. A brief paragraph explains the event (highlighting many great Catholics people and events from American History) with a "For More Information" bar offering the source of the information (and further reading).

Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany in the Domestic Church

Book cover: 'Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany in the Domestic Church'
Author(s): 
Catherine and Peter Fournier
This book is an outgrowth of the authors' longstanding website www.domestic-church.com and is a great companion to the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. It is divided into four parts: Family Activities, Saints of the Season, Crafts, and Coloring Pages. The purpose is to provide families with activity ideas that foster a spiritual climate in those seasons.

Lyrical Life Science

Book cover: Lyrical Life Science
Author(s): 
Doug and Dorry Eldon
Illustrator(s): 
Eric Altendorf

This clever learning set teaches basic concepts in Life Science through cleverly written songs (to tunes like Battle Hymn of the Republic and Dixie). There are eleven songs in all, with a chapter in the text and three pages in the workbook corresponding to each song. These are the song titles:

Patriotic Leaders of the Church

Book cover: Patriotic Leaders of the Church
Author(s): 
John F. Fink

Although the book is titled Patriotic Leaders of the Church, perhaps another way of saying it would be "Clergy in the Catholic Church who were both Leaders and Patriotic". With the exception of a few priests, the majority of the biographies are of Bishops, Archbishops, or Cardinals. In other words, the main focus of the book is to show that a person can be both Catholic "to the core," patriotic, and even a priest at the same time.

Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas

Book cover: Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas
Author(s): 
Janis Herbert
Leonardo da Vinci for Kids is a fascinating biography of a fascinating man with plenty of material to keep children and adults interested and amazed. The story details da Vinci's life, works, ideas and interests. His artistic and scientific creations and inventions cover an incredibly broad field - from his famous paintings to complex defense mechanisms for cities under siege to mechanical "creatures" to complex and artistically creative parties for important people of his day.

Hold That Thought: History Volumes 1 and 2

I have a houseful of active, writing-resistant sons, and I am always on the lookout for materials that not only encourage my boys to write frequently, but also encourage them to write well. History, Volumes 1 and 2, from Hold That Thought have turned writing in our history studies, and the historical overlaps into science, religion, and the fine arts, into an activity that we all enjoy. The pages produced by the children are original reports that have filled our notebooks and our heads with unforgettable details, while documenting our studies and providing a pleasant means of review.

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