Friday 8 January 2021

Divine Mercy for Children - Vinny Flynn and Brian Kennelly - A Guided Tour of the Museum of Mercy

Divine Mercy for Children: 
A Guided Tour of the Museum of Mercy
Brian Kennelly
ISBN 9781505116731


Both authors of this work have been on my radar for a while. In fact, I have books from both of them in my ‘to be read’ pile. But this was the first Book I have read from either. I have previously listened to some of Vinny’s audio CD talks and was very impressed. But I was even more impressed by this excellent volume. The day this book arrived it caught my youngest two children’s attention. And we started it immediately. We read it over a week and a half reading a chapter a day. They were fascinated with it from the get go. My wife who is not Catholic was around when we read the second or third chapter. And she ‘happened’ to be there when we read most of the rest of the chapters. My wife asked why my oldest child was not with us, and I mentioned that the book would not appeal to her, or at least not with her younger siblings. So I am on the hunt for a teen book now. 

This book is truly a gem. An excellent book, Very well written. The kids loved the questions at the end of the chapters. This book as an adaptation of Flynn’s 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy  but modified for younger audiences. And it is great! The kids love it. They have talked to their friends and their teachers about the book. It is fantastic to read to young kids, or for middle grade readers and above. The chapters in the volume are:

Introduction: Walking Through the Museum Doors
The Holy Trinity
A Call to Holiness
God Loves Backwards
St. Faustina Kowalska
A Book of Secrets
A Painting of Secrets
The Prayers of Divine Mercy
Living it Out

Appendices:
How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Novena

The way the book is written will keep children engaged and excited about what they are learning. Every chapter begins with an illustration. And they are memorable and help instill the lesson from that chapter. 

This book is an amazing read! My only complaint is that it is not available as an eBook. Both my children want a copy and want to give it to their school library as well. If the eBook was available, I would only need to pick up one more copy. As it is I will be ordering 4 or 5 copies so that we have it on hand to give away. 

This is a book we can easily recommend to anyone who reads to and with young readers. Great for school age children. Middle grade readers and even tweens. It is a resource we will be using for years to come. And it is endorsed by the whole family! So, pick it up and give it a read, or better yet pick up 2 so you have one to give away.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
 





Books by Vinny Flynn:
21 Ways to Worship: A Guide to Eucharistic Adoration
7 Secrets of Confession
7 Secrets of Divine Mercy
Mass & Adoration Companion
Mercy's Gaze: 100 Readings from Scripture and the Diary of St. Faustina
Mother of Mercy Scriptural Rosary
St. Faustina's Meditations on Divine Mercy
The 7 Secrets of the Eucharist
The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion
The Rosary & the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Books by Brian Kennelly:
Doors of Mercy: A Journey Through Salvation History
Queen of Heaven: Mary's Battle For Souls
To the Heights: A Novel Based on the Life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
The Island of Two Trees
Divine Mercy for Children: A Guided Tour of the Museum of Mercy
Two Statues

Contributed to:
The Story of the Bible: Volume I - The Old Testament
The Story of the Bible: Volume II - The New Testament

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I bought several copies of this book to give as gifts to my grandkids....I did not read, but skimmed, and they looked great (saw review by someone else).
I Did pick up 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy by Vinny Flynn for myself. I must say I am NOT impressed - in fact, disappointed. Now, it could be, that the reason I didn't like it, was that I picked this book to read while I was waiting 2 hours for jury selection that ended in being sent home. But I found it meandering, repetitive, and slightly flamboyant.

Susan Wanke
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