The Oz Chronicles, Volume 2

It has arrived! We found an affordable copy on Alibris, after losing an EBay auction for another reasonably priced one (got it for cheaper than EBay too!) - and my son has been devouring it.

He is practicing geography, 2D art, language, story chronology, narration, plot development, answering what-if questions, creating costumes, re-enacting with Legos, blocks, counting bears, and SO MUCH MORE.
I have to say, I am still not convinced that the Land of Oz stories are on par with Narnia or other such stories, but they are perfect for a little boy who is reading 5-6 grade levels above his age yet still needs something developmentally appropriate, funny, enertaining and that connects to so many other subjects.

Now if I could just read it for myself!

Land of Oz Series

No - I'm not talking about the movie(s). I am talking about the *books*!

According to Wikipedia, there are 40 or so books attributed to the Wizard of Oz Club - a group of writers who added to the original 14 of L Frank Baum.

We have read the first 7 in our household, and I am currently on the hunt for the Volume 2 of the "Oz Chronicles" - a 3-volume set with the 14 original Oz stories (7 each in the first 2 volumes) and other stories by the same author. For the time being, we are really only interested in the original stories - off-shoots don't really do it for me and children can make their own judgments when they are older. We have a few of the first 7 in paperback as well, with illustrations. Our hardcover collection volumes have no illustrations, save the map within the covers, and my 6 year old LOVES them! Why? Because it is a beautiful hard bound, leather-look, gold-trim volume - with gold trim on the pages. How much more special is that???

But I digress. There are many lovely maps of the Land of Oz and I include the one below because it is the color version of that map which is displayed within our beautiful dark green volume 1.

See all the color? Each area of Oz has its own color and the inhabitants within each area are alike in some ways yet as diverse as paper is from china - you can find their respective towns on the map above ;)

We like to keep things faith-based - but frankly, some things are just too much fun! And knowing that others have taken off with the series will only encourage us to use our God-give imaginations to work things out for ourselves - don't we all wish there was a special place we could go? Just to get away from the grayness of life for a while?

There IS a place - that place is heaven. In the meantime, we have Oz ;)

Divine Mercy for Young Hearts

This DVD is an excellent introduction the Divine Mercy devotion for children and adults of all ages. Overall the presentation is geared for elementary age and with limited exception (noted below), it is entirely appropriate for children even down to age 3. The videography provides a great deal of input without feeling overwhelming or overstimulating. There is some light music, images of the Stations of the Cross, the Shroud of Turin and other visual images, as well as video of the children receiving the presentation.

The main menu offers the options of watching the entire video (57 minutes) or watching in segments. For the youngest children and for anyone new to this devotion (whether in a school, religious education or the home), the segments are best done at separate times with prayer, and review discussion in between to maximize what a child will take away from the presentations at hand.

The video starts out with a brief introduction to the Holy Father (JPII - having been initially presented shortly after his death), dating it a bit, but places emphasis on the reality of the events surrounding this devotion, placing it in a physical place and time.

Because it covers a wide range of children's ages, some topics are meant for older children (some trivia-type information and apologetics that are not necessary for the very young child). Geared for children, there are moments that are most appropriate for adults. While the speaker states the difference between children and adults beforehand, it was disconcerting to hear the specific sins listed in a presentation to children who are still in a state of innocence and hope. Other than this slightly awkward moment, anything directed to the adults was appropriately done for the children. And the items directed towards the older children slip by the younger children.

The main menu offers the options of watching the entire video (57 minutes) or watching in segments. For the youngest children and for anyone new to this devotion, the segments are best done at separate times with prayer, and review discussion in between.

The additional features contain information on the ministries involved, for the edification of the adults.

Overall, this is an excellent video with the caveats mentioned above.


I wrote this review of Divine Mercy For Young Hearts for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.