Book Review- The Treasure of My Catholic Faith

    As a home schooling mother of 5 I have seen and tried a lot of different books to educate my children.  I am always searching for the best fit for us and, especially when it comes to religion curriculum, am fairly picky.   My children’s religion books, first of all, have to be Catholic, of course.  They have to be easy to read and engaging but still true to our Catholic faith and still catechetical in nature.   I do not want books that are too “warm and fuzzy” lacking real substance and failing to pass on the depth and beauty of our Faith.  I do not want books that are too deeply theological in nature either, after all they are meant for children and must reach them where they are.  And so, it was with a bit of trepidation that I sent off for The Treasure of My Catholic Faith, level 1.   I hoped it would meet my expectations and serve well as my 5 year old son’s religion curriculum.
    We started our school year in mid-August and on our first day I introduced the book to my son.  He was so excited to get to work and enjoyed flipping through the colorful pages filled with bright illustrations, various fun activities and short reading passages.  As we got started I was a little concerned that the book would not offer a very profound study of the teachings of the Church.  My son, however, loved it right from the start.  He enjoyed the cutting and pasting activities.  He loved drawing pictures of his favorite thing in God’s creation.  He answered correctly the true or false questions about how God created the world.  As we have gone along, the book has really grown on me, maybe because of my son‘s enthusiasm for it.  The readings, though not particularly deep or spiritual, are just the right length for an antsy little boy, and there are quite a few activities throughout each chapter, offering opportunities for review and discussion on the material presented.  The discussions are my favorite part of our religion work each day, but my son still prefers the cutting and pasting.  Thankfully the book has provided a good opportunity for both.  We talk about the material in the chapter, discussing what our Church teaches and what our faith tells us, and then he is allowed the fun of coloring, gluing, or drawing to further cement the lesson in his mind.
    Each chapter ends with a short summary of the lesson, a few questions to review, and a practical application of the information learned.   So, all in all I would recommend the book to others.  As with any religion program, it can not stand alone as an isolated means to pass on the faith.  However, along with all that we do as Catholics to live out our faith each day, it is a beautiful tool to help with the essential catechesis we must offer in order to keep our children strong in their Catholic identity.

I received this book free of charge in exchange for writing an honest review for the website tiberriver.com.  The book can be purchased through aquinasandmore.com