My younger children are at the \”alphabet learning age\”. So when I was asked to review the book The Christian Alphabet by Tracy Sands, I thought it might fit in well with my lesson plans for the school year. I was a bit surprised when the book showed up at my door since it was not what I was expecting. Many younger kids like stories or rhyming poems. This book is not an easy read book and you cannot sit down and read this book straight through to your child(ren). I found a page (a letter) a day to be plenty for kids to handle. Plus, each page/letter needed discussion time and/or activity time to reinforce the thoughts and ideas.
The Christian Alphabet is meant to teach about Jesus, prayer, and the Bible. Each letter is used as a spring-board to teach children many different simple religious concepts. These ideas are very basic and easy to understand, but coming from a Catholic perspective this book is kind of disappointing. This book IS CHRISTIAN. While I saw nothing wrong with the information in the book, I personally would have loved to see more in depth Catholicism in the book\’s teachings. I did see many Catholic symbols and ideas peaking through some of the teachings and images, which makes me think the author/illustrator is or was Catholic. I can see that this book would work well as a teaching tool to reinforce religious concepts as children learn their letters. Although, I personally would add a more Catholic twist to the information given. Also, it could be used as a discussion starter when teaching kids of many ages.
From an artistic standpoint I thought the letter images were beautiful. The author/illustrator, Tracy Sands, did an awesome job making the images look interesting. Although many of the letters were not easy for my younger kids to make out, the kids did have fun trying to find the letter shape in the picture. My kids enjoyed the \”Seek and Find\” section under each letter image, too. Personally, I found the \”Symbology\” section in the back of the book particularly interesting. You can see some of the information on the image\’s symbolism and it\’s meanings here on their website.
I was also sent a CD which included 5 songs, including the Christian Alphabet Song. If you feel having a song to go with the book would be helpful than this is an added bonus. Although, the CD only has 5 songs, it is reasonably priced.
Visit The Christain Alphabet website to read more about this book and the other items they sell.
NOTE: I was given a free copy of this book and CD in exchange for an honest review. I make no profit from this review.
NOTE: I was given a free copy of this book and CD in exchange for an honest review. I make no profit from this review.
God Bless.
~Jennifer
Advent Saint Ornaments - Create Your Own - SET 1 - PDF Download
Thank you for such an honest review!!! I really appreciate it. I think this would make a great gift for my other Christian friends. Will keep it in mind.
Hi Jill, Yes, it really would make a nice gift for Christian friends! Excellent idea!! 🙂
What a beautiful book.. I hope someday we can find it in spanishHugs from México.
Hi Ana Laura, It's nice to see you here again! Blessings to you and your family! ♥ Sending return hugs.
What a great review! I appreciate the links you included within the review as it really helped to gain a better understanding of the book. I've been looking for an ABC's book for our little man, and this may just be the one.