Chivalry and Catholic Virtues meet in Theresa Linden’s Armor of God series, specially written for First Communicants.
Have or know a child who’s preparing for or just made their First Holy Communion? This series is just for them! Theresa Linden explores the six parts of the Armor of God listed in Ephesians 6 against a interest-catching backdrop of knights and quests. These books are sure to captivate 6-8 year old Catholic children and help them internalize and desire the virtues!
In the first book, Belt of Truth, George, a young page, has a lying problem.
George wants more than anything to be a knight. When he learns that Truthfulness is a necessary virtue, he’s dismayed. How can he stop lying when it seems like the best way to solve his problems and keep out of trouble? Watch George grow and practice virtue throughout this first book so that when he really gets in trouble, he is able to stand strong and tell the truth. He earns his first piece of armor: the Belt of Truth.
As the series continues, George learns about the other parts of a knight’s armor and other virtues including Righteousness, Peacefulness, and Faithfulness.
There’s also plenty of scuffles, sword fighting, horses, dragons, and more. Parents can feel good about giving this clean, virtue-driven series to their young kids to read. And kids can enjoy the fun of the chivalric era while imbibing some good morals.
Is the Armor of God series just for boys?
Nope! Girls will enjoy the fact that the knight school is for boys and girls! Boys train to be knights, and girls train to be dames. But they all get to practice all the fun parts of training. A girl is one of the three main characters that carry the series.
To buy the Armor of God Series, you can use my Amazon affiliate link to Belt of Truth or buy directly through the author’s website TheresaLinden.com!
Is anyone else a huge fan of of Josephine Nobisso’s The Weight of a Mass and Take it to the Queen? These gorgeous books combine luminous illustrations with fantastic stories in a truly transcendent experience. I’ve been waiting for years for her to add to this series of allegories and it’s finally happening!
Portrait of the Son
In her new book Portrait of the Son, Josephine Nobisso tells a story about charity: love. It’s a variation on an allegory that’s been told many times over the centuries to help us understand a little about the love between the Father and the Son. In the story, an old father and his son live in a world of superlatives. Their great love for each other spills over into helping everyone around them. They create the most amazing art collection in the world, live in the most wonderful house, are kindest to their neighbors, and love each other dearly. When the son dies in the war, what will the father do? To whom will he bequeath his precious art collection?
A Fitting Third Book
The Weight of a Mass reminds us to have faith. Take it to the Queen gives us hope for our fallen world. Now, Portrait of the Son concludes the Theological Virtues Trilogy with an allegory about true charity. I was disappointed at first to see a new illustrator, but then was impressed how the continuity of the illustrations was maintained. Illustrator Ted Schluenderfritz really did a fantastic job keeping the style of the luminous watercolor illustrations in the first two books. Parents will appreciate the extensive symbolism used throughout Portrait of the Son. See how much symbolism you notice, then turn to the beginning and end of the book for a full explanation.
Portrait of the Son is being released November 2021! It would be a great Christmas present or addition to your family library.
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Are you a Catholic parent looking for ways to help develop a virtue-focused mindset in your 8-14 year old child? If so, you will want to check out Made for Greatness: A Growth Mindset Journal for Courageous Catholic Youth. Recently released by well-known Catholic blogger Ginny Kochis of Not So Formulaic, this book is a valuable self-teaching tool which helps children own their decisions, goals, and choice of focus.
Virtues, Stories, Prompts, Prayers
In Made for Greatness, Ginny introduces your children to each of the four Cardinal and three Theologial virtues in a way they have never before encountered them. After a brief accessible definition of what the virtue means, Ginny plunges straight into concrete examples of Saints, and contemporary people, whose lives demonstrated the virtue. I appreciated the diversity of saints from around the world and everyday people ranging from a young American with cerebral palsy to an architect from Oman.
Ginny also includes journaling prompts for brainstorming, reflection, goal-formation, and prayer. There are also scriptural passages which relate to each virtue. By the end of each chapter, your child will have come up with a concrete plan to begin implementing the virtue in his or her life.
Neuroplasticity and Empowerment
One part of Made for Greatness I really love is how Ginny brings in science to back up her claims. If you’re a bit of a science geek like me, you may have read up on the emerging field of neuroplasticity: the amazing, God-given ability our brain muscles have to create new neural pathways throughout our lives. Ginny takes the concept of neuroplasticity and simplifies it so even 9 and 10 year olds can grasp that they can free their brain from bad habits and create new ones. Children (and adults!) can feel stuck in their usual way of life and doubt their ability to truly improve. Ginny uses science to empower children to believe in their brain’s ability to build better habits.
Great for Gifted and Special Needs Children
Given her years of wisdom from both parenting twice-exceptional children and writing for Not So Formulaic, it comes as no surprise that Ginny is meticulous in making this journal accessible for exceptional children. This book is written to work equally well as a solo study for an independent reader and writer, or as a joint project the parent reads to the child and discusses. The spacing is helpful for dyslexics, and color pictures and icons scattered throughout help visual learners. Gifted children will appreciate the science and broad scope of journaling prompts offered.
Made for Christ
The overarching message throughout Made for Greatness is both inspiring and empowering for children. This journal challenges children to develop a growth mindest: “a constant decision to see challenge as an opportunity for growth.” At the same time, it enables children to work past negative self-talk, bad habits, and lack of confidence. One of my favorite sections is the conclusion, where Ginny reminds kids they are made for greatness and gives new verbalizations to substitute for common negative thoughts.
