My Review: Five Minutes with the Child Jesus

I'd like the thank the Catholic Company for sending me Five Minutes with the Child Jesus. This book of about 100 pages features a ten year old boy, and my guess is that older elementary is the target age group. On the last day of school before Christmas, Michael stops by the local Catholic church. While the boy he is with goes to speak to the sacristan, Michale kneels to pray. A ten year old Jesus comes to him and together they take five trips of one minute each (at least according to his watch, though they seem like longer while they are gone). Basically, Michael helps Jesus answer prayers. He sends a broken man back to his family, he helps a poor widow find a family who takes her in, he sees a crippled girl take her first steps since an accident and he helps convince people to donate to food baskets for the poor. Finally, Jesus takes him to a local children's hospital where he meets a boy who is close to death and where Jesus tells him that the hospital is close enough to his home for him to visit.

This is a sweet heartwarming book, though perhaps a little heavy-handed on the lesson end. It is definitely Catholic in nature. Besides the fact that Micheal meets Jesus in the church, there is mention of communion, statues, saints, and the Blessed Mother.

The illustrations are beautiful and the cover is repesentative of the style.

The publisher's website for this book is here.