Children's Corner: Baby, Come to Church!

Welcome back to Stuart's Study. Today, I am going to launch a new segment, slated to run at least six weeks, called Children's Corner. In this segment, I will review books geared towards children. This includes newborns to teenagers. Pauline Books and Media was generous enough to supply me with six books to review. They are easily the go-to publisher for children's books as their selection dwarfs all other publishers combined! Pauline Books and Media also has a program called JClub, which teachers, school librarians, or religious education coordinators might find interesting as you can host a book fair at your school and offer children the opportunity to buy some of their amazing books. Click here for more details.

The first book I am reviewing from Pauline Books and Media is entitled Baby, Come to Church! written and illustrated by Virginia Esquinaldo and intended for children aged 0-5. The first thing I love about this book is that it's a board book. At this age, board books are where you will get the best bang for your buck. They are just the right length to keep your child's attention, and just the right material to survive more than one reading.

The next thing I love about this book is the illustrations in it. For starters, it has a variety of races for the children and families in this book. This makes it a book that would work for any family, as the children would at least be able to see one picture in there that looks like him/her and his/her family. We also see beautiful pictures of a stained glass window, crucifix, priest, and choir. All of these are images your child will recognize from attending Mass already, or help your child pay more attention to their surroundings in the future.

Lastly, the prayer at the end is very beautiful. While the rest of the book is intended for children, this "Parents' Prayer" puts things in perspective and reminds us that our children are always watching us, and we are supposed to be the ones setting a good example for them. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars, and belongs in your child's library. I recommend using it as a special book that they only get to read during Mass, so that they don't grow bored with it and can use it to help keep them engaged and reverent during Mass. Tune in next Saturday for another selection from the Children's Corner.