4Real Forums: Great story for children

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

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Topic: Great story for children - "Melanie"

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aussieannie
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Joined: May 21 2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7251

Posted: June 12 2006 at 3:54am \| IP Logged

I thought I would post this now - in case someone were interested in buying or borrowing this book to read to their children before the feast of Our Lady of LaSalette on the 19th of September (maybe they would like to do a unit study from it).

This is not a picture book - in fact it is a book written for adults but it is written very simply and delightfully that is easily read to children, there is three sections of photographs and sketches.

It is a book from TAN called 'MELANIE - And the Story of Our Lady of La Salette' by Mary Alice Dennis. This is one of the most unexpected 'treasure-of-a-read' books for me as I had never known much of the seers from the Church approved apparition of La Salette. They have always been portrayed as 'unusual' children - and so they were, in many ways - but we often connect that word with other negative thoughts - so when I first read it, I was blown away!

It goes into great depths about the rare, 'mystical' childhood of Melanie Clavat, she was mistreated and unloved by her family (mostly her mother) but the Child Jesus compensated lovingly, by being her childhood companion - their relationship is most tender, she only every referred to Him as her 'Little Brother'.

I have read most of the book - the first 9 chapters out of the 12 that primarily focus on her childhood before the apparition to my three oldest children (the youngest of those three was 4 at the time) and they were enchanted with the 'child-like' side to Jesus, the fact that he would play hide-and-seek and who-can-stand-on-one-foot-the-longest and such beautiful, innocent games, He also instructed her in the Faith.

I think it helps the children to mentally picture Jesus in the Tabenacle with greater reality and feel they can relate to Him in a closer way - so the reading definately leads any child to a practical application of images & thoughts, if encouraged to do so.

I would be interested to know if other mums have read it and what they have thought - I know the hardships and sufferings Melanie endured can be seen as distressing - but it did not effect my children that way, many lives of the saints have had unusual lives and so they have heard so many to be able to keep that in perspective.

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