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SuzanneG
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| Posted: March 22 2007 at 9:47am | IP Logged
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I have an opportunity to buy sets of either/both of these, but even at a reduced price, it's a lot of money.
Windeatt Saint Books
Vision Books .
Our library doesn't have ANY of them, which is astonishing, since it's a huge library system. Whenever I've read any of them, I've requested them through inter-library loan. I LOVE them!
Is it worth it to own them?
Those of you who bought them, are you glad you did?
Which set do you/children prefer?
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Suzanne in ID
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Martha
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I wouldn't and haven't been able to choose.
Buy BOTH! They're well worth it.
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MichelleW
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| Posted: March 22 2007 at 11:06am | IP Logged
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We have just three books. I'm, glad I have them on the shelf though, that way my kids can pick them up when they are inspired to do so.
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teachingmyown
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I have both complete sets. But I used to run a Catholic bookstore, so I have an excuse! It does get a little pricey, but it is so worth having at least one set!
Overall, I have enjoyed the Vision books more. But, with my young readers, it is nice to have the shorter Windeatts, they aren't all short, to hand to them to read.
The Vision books are a better value, especially as a set. Unfortunately, Tan Publishers (Windeatt) has high prices on their books and keeps raising them!
One other thing, with the really young crowd, which your children would fit in, we like the Windeatt coloring books. There is a full story, with a coloring page opposite of each page of text. They used to be $4.50, I don't know if they have gone up.
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extremeknitter
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| Posted: March 22 2007 at 12:22pm | IP Logged
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teachingmyown wrote:
| I have both complete sets. But I used to run a Catholic bookstore, so I have an excuse! It does get a little pricey, but it is so worth having at least one set! |
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I agree that both are the way to go. I got mine the same way! I owned a Catholic bookstore. The discounts helped build our library to be sure. 
(to my knowledge the retail price on the coloring books is still $4.50, but check TAN's website as they used to offer discounts on sets and often had them on sale.)
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juststartn
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I've found bunches on ebay...mostly from one or two sellers--which is great as I can get combined shipping. I don't have a complete set of the Vision books (I think I only have one of the others)...but I realllllly want them. Doesn't help matters that I am a book-a-holic.
SIGH
Feed my addiction...just what I need to do, lol
Rachel (who also has a "thing" for the Landmark history series)
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Mrs.K
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I would vote for both as well. But if you really have to choose, I will say that my children re-read their Visions more. We have both sets.
Seton has good prices on the sets. If you can afford the lump sum, buy a set and then dole them out slowly for gifts - birthdays, Christmas, feast days etc.
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aussieannie
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Suzanne,
I own both complete sets and they are both a wonderful series and worth the investment - these are books that are always easy to sell secondhand, if needing to recoup money back on them when you have finished them. Last year, someone was selling the complete set of the Vision books on Cathswap and they were great value, last week someone sold the complete, unused set of Windette's coloring books, (couldn't quite get in quick enough   ) often you see a few of the them being sold...so they can be found secondhand if you are keeping your eye out for them. So you would never have trouble selling the books in the Trading Post on 4Real!
I personally, greatly prefer Mary Faybyan Windeatte's books, they don't have quite the pretty covers on them as the Vision book but I feel the Mary was a talented writer. I find that she writes in a way that by the time you get to the end of the chapter, you JUST want to keep reading into the next, we have never really stalled on her stories around here. She also has a way of writing very profound statements of our faith, virtue or something special about the particular saint she is writing about, they are 'gems' that can have you pondering on it for weeks.... These books have created some of our most treasured cuddle-up times in bed with the children, night after night, reading and laughing and looking at their shinning eyes and hearing their, "Oh no mum, keep reading, keep reading!!"
The first 6 in her series are must read saints in the lives of Catholics (my opinion) St Therese of the Little Flower (with little gems to think about, in regard to her 'little way') Our Lady of Fatima - such an important apparition for our times, The Cure of Ars (St John Vianney) the patron saint of Parish Priests - the most perfect example of a priest you will read with some hilarious and exciting stories written about him! St Louis de Monfort, the author of True Devotion, helping children and adult alike to really understand what this profound and perfect devotion to Our Lady is really all about - the same devotion that inspired Pope John Paul the Great to chose his motto of 'Totus Tuus'. The last in the first 6 is Patron Saint of First Communicatns the stroy of Blessed Imelda Lammertini, this is a read for all children showing them the beautiful reality of who we are receiving at Holy Communion and an example of such love and devotion towards Jesus in the Eucharist, and what a heart-stopping finale!!
I think if you want to start with getting a bit of each, the six above are the ones to get with Mary's books...but everyone of Mary's are great.
Thank God for these two wonderful series.....
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Christine
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Even though KCLS has some of these books, we bought the set of Windeatt books at 40% off through All Catholic Books (they had a special sale). We are slowly buying the Vision books (we owned some of these titles before Ignatius started reprinting them). I recommend getting both sets.
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Erin
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If you HAVE to chose between the two I would say the Vision books are better, slightly more readable.
They are very worthwhile having. Ours are re-read often.
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teachingmom
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I would suggest buying the Vision books if you are only purchasing one set. I love every one I have read. I must admit that I didn't feel the same about the Windeatt book I read. (Please don't throw any tomatoes!)
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MacBeth
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| Posted: March 22 2007 at 6:26pm | IP Logged
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Oh, I'm the odd woman out...I'll add that I really don't like some of the Vision books. I think some are well written (very subjective, I know) and some are dry as bones. In fact, I have actually become disinterested in some saints' lives after reading the Vision books. I don't like the stiff, artificial dialogue, and I feel that a good author ought to be able to inject the "awe"some life of a saint with the kind of inspiring prose that can make one feel as though one understood the saintliness of the subject. I just don't feel it in so many of the VBs. I have not read but one Windeatt book, and I don't recall which one (see what an impact that made? The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about  ).
In fact, until the kids are older, I think the great films of the lives of saints that are available from Ignatius and others are far, far better introductions to the saints than the books. There are also some audio tapes on the saints that the kids have found very inspiring.
Irene, I think the tomatoes will surely be for me. 
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aussieannie
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teachingmom wrote:
| I didn't feel the same about the Windeatt book I read. (Please don't throw any tomatoes!) |
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Darn it!  I was just choosing my too far gone ones out too!
We have only read a few of Vision yet as we put them down a bit and read through slowly.. I must say, they have all different authors don't they? The ones I read are definately good but imagine that some are probably better reading than others, and in one way that is probably a good thing, greater writing style variation?
Here is what I mean by 'I loved them' but 'felt them still wanting something': I loved the story of St Anthony and the kids and I enjoyed the scene down on the beach in the pirate's cottage and the immediate effects on his soul, with the carving of the stone with his light touch of a finger, such a fabulous story to share with children!... But, I felt is was too top heavy on the focus of his childhood, especially considering St Anthony's adult life was outstanding, with many great stories that could have been mentioned... maybe it was a hard saint to read/write about, maybe because his life was so outstanding from babyhood to death that no one would ever do him perfect justice in a child's story?
It is good to hear the strong recommendations for Vision, it is prompting me to crack open the plastic wrapping on a few more of the books and read on...
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Helen
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| Posted: March 22 2007 at 10:00pm | IP Logged
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Personally, I prefer the Windeatt books.
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aussieannie
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| Posted: March 26 2007 at 3:31am | IP Logged
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Suzanne, I don't know if you know about these two books:
Saints of the Church: A Teacher's Guide to the Vision Books - this is a companion book to all the Vision books, so that your children can do a study on each book.
Then, Vocabulary Quiz Workbook: Based on 6 Saints' Lives by Mary Fabyan Windeatt This is based on those 6 books from her list that I highly recommended. It is a totally different layout than the Vision Book Guide, this one has 2020 Multiple-Choice questions on the proper understanding of words used throughout the 6 books.
Both good, both different! 
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: March 26 2007 at 10:21am | IP Logged
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I had heard of the Vision guide, but not the Windeatt guide.
No tomatoes here!! I'm just glad for all the feedback.
Wow! Thanks everyone for your comments and personal/family experience with this.....it helps a lot! 
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Suzanne in ID
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Topic: Windeatt or Vision Books - Saints
