Book Review: “The Catholic Faith from A to Z”

The introduction says, “This book is for you,” and it is speaking to the Catholic boys and girls for whom it is written. The book is “The Catholic Faith from A to Z” by Sophie de Mullenheim with illustrations by Madeleine Brunelet. Children and their parents will find many hours of joyful learning between its covers.
 
Each chapter is a letter, and each chapter is comprised of a number of entries, none of which is more than a paragraph long, and includes various inserts and illustrations. Young readers could work their way through this book on their own or parents could read it to or with them.
 
The texts are short, nothing so long that it could lose the attention of a grade school reader.
 
The illustrations are a large part of the draw here. Nearly every chapter has figures who are obviously children – dancing, looking at something, sitting and talking – and this lets children see that this is their book. Decorative touches abound: trickles of pink hearts, flowering branches, flying birds and angels.
 
There are several full-page illustrations. Our Lady stands against a lovely blue background with the words of Elizabeth’s to Mary at her feet. Mary has the same childlike features as the other figures in the book, again helping young readers connect.
 
Zacchaeus in his tree is charming as Jesus tells him to come down. The Beatitudes are shown in full above the scene of Christ preaching. If not in the book, this page would make a fine poster.
 
Every chapter has a small, colored box with text relevant to the chapter. In the “B for Bible” chapter, the verse is 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching … and for training in righteousness.”
 
There are “Going Further” inserts that would be especially nice for slightly older children capable of taking in the ideas.
 
There are “Did You Know” inserts that explain how the Church declares someone a saint, how a man becomes a priest, and that in Lourdes, “The Bureau of Miracles studies the physical cures that are claimed to be miracles.”
 
Some of the “Question” inserts are general, for example, “Why forty days?” Some are questions that are typical of children: “Do angels have wings?” Some help introduce difficult subjects like “What about divorce?”
 
The text asks, “Why doesn’t God stop wars and natural catastrophes?” “What about hell and purgatory?” One nice “Going Further” box tells children “sometimes it’s hard to have faith.”
 
Children will learn something every time they open this book. “The Catholic Faith from A to Z” could help parents and children spend some quality time together – reading, learning and making memories of studying their Catholic faith as a family.
 
J. E. Helm is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.