WWRW: Two Good Books for Sacrament Preparation

A few months ago, I won these books from a giveaway hosted by Lauren at The Loveliest Hour.   Winning anything is exciting, but I was especially excited to win these books, because the first one is written by Kendra Tierney...whom I consider to be a bloggy friend (but not a boggy friend).  I've been wanting her book ever since it was released.   However, I'm cheap and we're poor...so I was super excited to win it. 

Little Book about Confession for Children

All I can say is that I wish Kendra had written this book back in 2009 when Heidi received her first Confession and First Holy Communion....and again in 2012 when Greta  received her FHC.  But nooooo....it wasn't published until 2014. 

Irregardless, Heidi and Greta both enjoyed reading it quite a bit.   Even though they've been going to Confession monthly for some time, they both got a lot out of it.  The Examination of Conscious is especially helpful.  I love the way it breaks down all the commandments in a way that children can understand.  In fact, I won ANOTHER giveaway on Kendra's blog and she was kind enough to send me a packet of these little examinations.  Which is helpful for the kids because they use it, mark it and then throw it away (or burn it...which is a great visual showing how our sins are gone after Confession). 

Frequent Confession is one of the most important Catholic Traditions to teach your childrenn and this book makes teaching it just a little bit easier.  My kids have enjoyed reading it on their own, and we also went over it together  It's written in a very easy to understand style, but also has a lot of depth and meat to it. It's definitely something I plan to use in sacrament preparation for all the other kids and it does a fantastic job of explaining the sacrament of Confession and gives detailed instructions on how to go about going to Confession.

Greta wanted me to let you know that her favorite part is the story about a saint who had to eat some sort of rotten egg for his penance.  She liked that part. 

Little Catechism on the Eucharist

This book can be purchased online from CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop .   Unfortunately, I never actually purchased it when I worked there...I had to win it to actually get my hands on a copy.  This is another book I wish we had when Heidi and Greta were doing their Sacrament preparation.  Fortunately, it was still a good read for them, even now.

The first part of the book is a great question and answer format.  The second part talks about Eucharistic Miracles and the third part talks about the saints and the Eucharist.  My kids especially loved the saints' stories.  What's really nice about this book is that it basically contains a little bit of everything....teaching, prayer and stories.  It might be a bit much for your typical 2nd grader to read on their own (depending on their reading ability), but is a great resource for parents and a wonderful book to read together.

I highly recommend these two books for all Catholic children..but especially for those who are preparing for or have just received their sacraments.

(Linking up with Jessica who is either reading books or having a baby).\

A Few Books I've Been Reading Lately

1.

The Memory Child by Steena Holmes

This story is.....interesting....and very gripping.  Brian and Diane are an upper-class, highly successful professional couple. When after 12 years of marriage, Diane finds herself pregnant, she struggles with feelings of ambivalence related to her own mother's dark past, while Brian is nothing less than thrilled.  After baby Grace is born, things are different for Diane...very, very different. She loves baby Grace and refuses to leave her, yet something is not quite right.  This book delves into the issue of postpartum psychosis, and tells this mother's story in a rather intriguing and interesting way.  

This book is a real page-turner. Throughout the story, the reader knows something is wrong, but it isn't until the end, that all is revealed. This is an easy read, but not a light one.  Some may find it emotionally disturbing, but I did not find it to be so.  Nonetheless, while it is not a comfortable book to read, it is certainly a good one. 

2.

Too Close to Home, Women of Justice Series (Book 1) 

By Lynette Eason

Ben is always finding me free mystery book on Kindle.  This is one of those books that as soon as I finished, I immediately asked him to keep his eye out for any more free books by Lynette Eason and to snatch them right up.  I would even consider PAYING for the next book in this series...and for me, that's big. If I'm going to pay for a fiction book, you KNOW I LOVE it.  Although...happy day!  I don't have to....I was able to borrow it for Kindle from the library! 

Anyway, this is pretty much one of the best mystery books I have ever read.   And, I've read a lot, so you know that's high praise.

It falls into the genre of Christian Mystery , but unlike a lot of other Christian fiction, it's actually really, really good. 

This is the story of a special FBI agent, a local detective, his rebellious daughter and an extremely clever killer.  There is romance, there is suspense, there is anger, there is faith and there is forgiveness....all the elements you need to make a good story, wrapped up into one clean, page-turning package. One of the point-of-view characters is the killer...which is pretty chilling at times.  If that sorta thing bothers you, you might not want to read this book late at night, if you are alone.

3.

Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man

First off, this is a LONG picture books for a read-aloud.  We had to break it up into two days.  But, it's a really fun story and the words have a nice lilting cadence to them.  The pictures are charming and even Elsa loved to sit and look at them.  Plus, the name of the boat is the Tidely Idley, and it involves a whale swallowing a boat and a captain and a sea gull and then being forced to puke everyone up again.  So, what's not to love?

3.

Clara Barton. Founder of the American Red Cross

Review by Greta (age 9)

Clara Barton was like the old lady who had so many children and lived in a shoe, but Clara had too many parents. Her Mom and Dad and her brothers, Stephen and David and her sisters, Dorothy and Sally. Each taught her something new. David taught her how to ride a horse. Dorothy and Sally taught her how to clean up and do housework. Clara's dad told her war stories an how soldiers moved. When Clara was ten years old she went to an Academy and was shy and skinny and bashful there. She helped the sick people and sick animals. When Clara was older she became a teacher and surprised the big boys.

I really liked this book because it was long and interesting.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Review by Heidi (age 12)

Agatha Christie is one of those authors that everyone is bound to love.  She always shocks you in a way that you wouldn't expect.

What Dad said I could read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,  I was excited.  I had already ready some of her Miss Marple series, so I was more than ready to test Hercule Poroit. I wanted to see if he was anything like Sherlock Holmes. 

I loved this book. There were so many people who could have been the killer (and seemed likely) that I didn't know who to suspect and who to declare innocent. 

And, as for Poroit, I found him to be a twin to Sherlock. He may not be as demanding as Sherlock Holmes, but he is (in my opinion) vain as a peacok.  He sure did show me my favorite way to use my little gray cells, by reading a Poroit book.

Just a warning, if you read this book, prepare to be shocked by the ending for at least the rest of the month...or maybe just the rest of the week. 

Linking up for Five Favorites and What We're Reading Wednesday.