Totally Catholic

Are you looking for a way to help your children understand the Catechism? A book that explains key concepts of the Church in a way children can understand? But one that does not bore them or talk down down to them? Big order, huh?

Totally Catholic: A Catechism for Kids and Their Parents and Teachers is a book that fits this bill.  Totally Catholic is totally interesting. It engages the reader with pictures, prayers, and a lively lay out. While waiting to do this review, I left the book laying in the living room and found a few of my kids picking it up to read themselves.

Totally Catholic is broken down into 39 chapters, each of which attempts to answer one question from the Catechism.  The chapters range from What is the Trinity and What is the Communion of Saints to How did Jesus Teach and Why is Mary Special.  While answering these questions, each chapter also provides short prayers, scripture links, and brainstorming ideas to help you live out your faith in your everyday life.  A Catholic VIP is also featured in each chapter, sharing a short biography of a different saint in every chapter. This biographies do not go in depth about the saint but provide enough information to encourage the reader to learn more on their own.

I would recommend this book for children in the 8 to 12 year-old age range. Although younger children may be able to read the book or be drawn in by the pictures and layout, there is so much information in the book that they may become overwhelmed.  Older children may find this book to be a starting point in a search for more information.  This book will definitely be useful for our family in the next few years for use with our middle and younger children.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Totally Catholic:A Catechism for Kids and Their Pa. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papalYear of Faith.