Obviously we feel that there is no better gift to give a child than that of a book. And what better way to start a child’s life than with plenty of good Catholic board books! Perfect for Baptism, First Christmas, First Birthday and other major events in the first couple of years, these books teach valuable lessons, prayers, different aspects of our faith, and Jesus’s love for his children. These books are not to be missed! Continue reading 20 Of the Best Board Books for Catholic Babies & Toddlers →
“Dear friends, let us not forget the flesh of Christ which is in the flesh of refugees: their flesh is the flesh of Christ.”—Pope Francis
Suggested Grade Levels:
Grades 6-8
Review and Thoughts
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai is a beautifully written coming-of-age story about a young Vietnamese girl named Ha. While Ha is a young girl in Vietnam, she witnesses the fall of Saigon, escapes with her family to Alabama, and struggles to learn to adapt to a new life in America. The innocent viewpoint of the young girl is a stark contrast to the seriousness of the war and of her position as a refugee. The novel, which is written entirely in poetry, is simple and delicate and tells a story of survival and growth for Ha and her family.
The novel is broken into four parts. Each part speaks of a different portion of Ha’s journey. She tells about her life in Saigon before the North comes and her eventual escape from Saigon. Next, she describes her terrible journey on boat floating at sea and nearly starving until she and her family are rescued by the Americans. Her family’s “adoption” by a man in Alabama and their struggle to adapt to a new culture is a difficult one. Finally, she accepts her family’s fate and learns to live as a young girl in Alabama. Continue reading Let Us Not Forget: A Review of ‘Inside Out & Back Again’ →
Suggested Grade Level:
Kindergarten -2nd Grade
Review and Thoughts
“You must do something to make the world more beautiful.”
This was the advice given to the main character, Alice, by her very wise grandfather. Alice was just a little girl with big dreams, but she took his advice to heart and made it the third goal she hoped to achieve in her lifetime. But she wasn’t sure exactly how she would do that.
When she grew up she traveled and experienced marvelous sites, adventures, and friendships. She lived happily by the sea. “She was almost happy.” It took Alice a long time to discover how to accomplish her third goal – the challenge given to her by her grandfather. As an old woman living by the sea Alice saw that the little garden next to her house had scattered its seeds to new and surprising locations. She saw the beauty and it renewed her effort to spread this beauty. She began to scatter handfuls of seeds wherever she walked. The next spring exploded with lupine beauty. The promise to her grandfather was accomplished. She had made the world more beautiful. Continue reading Making the World More Beautiful: A Review of ‘Miss Rumphius’ →
Literature reviews from the Catholic side
