Book Review: Goodness Graces!

Don't let the slightly punny title scare you away, this book is actually kid approved.  I wasn't sure if my almost nine year old would be too thrilled with having to read a book of stories on the sacraments, but once she picked up the book to read the first couple chapters she didn't want to give it back.  That's usually a good sign that a book is well received.

So what kind of book is this?  Goodness Graces! is a book that seeks to teach children about the sacraments through fictional stories.  The stories are about regular kids who come to realize the importance and beauty of a particular sacrament during the course of the story.  In most of the stories the main character (each story has a different set of characters) starts off with a slightly skewed opinion their particular situation, and it is through their understanding of the sacrament that they finally get what is important in the end.  The stories are easily relatable to todays children and required no explanation on my part (something that I have had to do with other Catholic children's books that were printed less recently).

So who exactly is the target audience of this book?  Well, it's a children's book so children would be the short answer.  The book is intended for children between the ages of 9-12 years old, but I would beg to differ with that age range.  I think it is better suited for children between the ages of 7-10.  The book reminds me of a Magic Tree House book.  The print is large and I get the impression that this book would be too young for a sixth or seventh grade child.

Overall, I think this book is really well done.  In fact, I have yet to come across a single children's book put out by Pauline Kids that hasn't been a hit with my kids.  As a parent, I particularly like that each story has a page of discussion questions at the end.  Having these questions at the end of each story is a nice touch.  I like it when a book has built in features to  reinforce reading comprehension.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program for The Catholic Company.  Visit The Catholic Company for  more information on Goodness Graces! and be sure to check out their great selection of Mary statues while you are there.

I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.