Book Review: Catholic Churches Big and Small

A few months ago a lovely book called Catholic Churches Big and Small arrived on my doorstep.  The book is a richly illustrated story about two children their father and a nun who go visiting many different Catholic churches.  The tour consists of taking the children to old churches, modern churches, small churches and cathedrals.  Along the way the children learn about things they will see inside a Catholic church and the ways in which these sacred spaces are utilized by the faithful.

The story itself is simply told in a way that is just right for young children.  Most pages only have a line or two of text which is great for kids with short attention spans, but more importantly, the minimal text leaves more room for discussing the gorgeous illustrations found throughout this book.  I really don't think I can say enough about the illustrations to do them justice.  They're simply beautiful and many are filled with lots of vivid color that will catch the eyes of young children.  The churches illustrated in this book are all part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and they're listed in an index at the end of the book.  If I lived anywhere near this Archdiocese I'd certainly want to go and visit some of these churches after reading this book and looking at these gorgeous illustrations.

My three year old and I have read through this book many times and she's always pointing out the things that she recognizes from church and she will ask questions about the pictures.  Sometimes she just likes to sit and page through the book and look at her favorite pictures, which are usually the most colorful pages.

This book is really a lovely way to teach young children in the 3-8 year old range about the various items you will find inside a Catholic church.  I am looking forward to sharing this book with my kindergarten religious education class.  I know they'll enjoy learning about the things they see in church and I'm sure they're going to love the pictures as much as my younger daughter does.  I'd absolutely recommend this book if you're looking for something to teach your child about the items he or she sees in the church.  With this book, you could very easily bring it with you on a visit to your church and ask your child to find some of the items listed in the book in your church, such as the altar, the tabernacle, holy water fonts and so forth.

The one and only complaint I have about this book is the paper used for the pages is a bit too thin for my liking.  I think a sturdier paper would ensure that the book will be able to withstand children paging through it often.

I was provided with a review copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.  You can order a copy of this book from Amazon.