A Peek into my Church
by: Wendy Goody and Veronica KellyGinny Pruitt, illustrator; 42 pages; Hardcover edition What more could a kid (or parent) ask for in a book? This is an absolutely delightful introduction to being Catholic, beautifully done in every respect. There is a lot of really good information in this book, both for kids and parents, but we think that what's truly special about it has something to do with its perfectly balanced tone. The narrator, a little girl named Liddy, is a vibrant and curious kid who loves being Catholic and you can feel her pride on every page of the story. Her joy and curiosity carry us forward into the book to learn more about the church. No wonder parents send us comments like this one about Peek: "I Lovity-Love-Love your wonderful book entitled A Peek Into My Church. The illustrations are delightful, colorful, cheerful, wonderful. The text is excellent. Well done!!" What do kids learn in Peek? Liddy invites children into her church to see what is in a Catholic church, examine a church floor plan, and learn about important rituals and essential objects. Kids are very interested in what things are and Peek takes advantage of their ready curiosity: Liddy is proud to know the names for Catholic rituals and objects and, being very talkative, she's happy to share this new vocabulary with readers. The book introduces the idea of church community (both local and worldwide), Baptism, the parts of the Mass, Communion, priests and their duties, vestments, and sisters and their many roles in the Church. As if that wasn't enough, the authors include a picture dictionary with expanded definitions of key words. Parents may appreciate this too! The text is easy enough for pre-readers to understand so parents should not hesitate to use this title as a read-aloud, but it also offers enough information for young readers to be interested through the 3rd or 4th grade. Did we mention the illustrations? Ginny Pruitt's gorgeous watercolors are clear, colorful, whimsical, elegant and fun -- just get better with time. Which reminds us: Peek is in its 4th printing since 1998, making it a Catholic favorite. It is one of our favorites! |
