By Angela M. Burrin
A Catholic book for one specific day, written as Jesus talking directly to the child who is about to receive him for the first time.
This is a book for a single occasion, and it doesn't pretend otherwise. Twelve scenes from Scripture run from Creation through to Pentecost, and in each one Jesus speaks in the first person, straight to the child holding the book, explaining that his Father's plan was always for them to be part of the family. Maria Cristina Lo Cascio's paintings are warm and old-fashioned in the good way, gold and deep color, closer to a holy card than a cartoon. At the back there are traditional Catholic prayers, and at the front a dedication page and spaces to slide in photographs and the church program from the day.
First Communion is a Catholic sacrament, and this is a Catholic book built for it. That precision is the point. Most milestone gifts are generic and the family already owns two of them, whereas this one arrives knowing exactly what is happening on Sunday and speaks to it. The first-person voice does the work: a seven-year-old who has spent months in preparation classes being told about the Eucharist gets handed something where Jesus stops being a topic and starts being someone talking to them. And because the memory pages are built in, it becomes the place the day is stored rather than another book on the shelf.