Seven Lonely Places, Seven Warm Places: The Vices and Virtues for Children [Hardcover]

April Bolton (Author), Brent Beck (Illustrator)

Book Description

With imaginative illustrations that give small children concrete, immediate examples of the seven sins, this book explains how Pride, Greed, Envy, Anger, Lust, Gluttony and Sloth can make us very lonely people. Then it offers the cure, the four cardinal and three theological virtues--Prudence, Justice, Courage, Temperance, Faith, Hope and Charity--that can mend relationships and rebuild what sin has broken.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Seven Lonely Places provides an open door to a rich area of potential darkness and hopeful strengths. --Inland Register, Spokane, Washington, April 10, 2003

A wonderful book of lessons for young and old alike. --The Courier, Winona, MN, March 2003

Basic enough for all of us! --WATERwheel, Winter 2002

From the Publisher

Virtue and vice are hard to explain, especially to little ones who always ask why they must share or say "thank you," and why they must not be angry or eat all the cookies. When "because I said so" is no longer enough, it is time for Seven Lonely Places, Seven Warm Places.

Beyond the tired preaching and moralizing that are part of every parent's day, offer your child the warmth of virtue, with this gentle, charming book, and revisit for yourself that virtuous feeling of loving and being loved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press (December 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867164824
• ISBN-13: 978-0867164824
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handles Moral Issues with Charm and Humor, March 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Seven Lonely Places, Seven Warm Places: The Vices and Virtues for Children (Hardcover)

It's a delightful book. In a publishing area that is often glutted with trivia, it is refreshing to find a book for children that says something significant in an entertaining and significant way.

Through amazingly creative pictures and text, this book entertains and enlightens children about important moral issues. Without lecturing or preaching, it demonstrates with easily understood situations and examples how seven dark and lonely places can be transformed into Seven Warm Places filled with Light, Beauty, Happiness, and Love. The bright, funny illustrations and the creative use of text further enhance the content. I highly recommend this book to parents, to teachers and to children of all ages.

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent tool for teaching your children, October 30, 2011

By 

Julianne - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seven Lonely Places, Seven Warm Places: The Vices and Virtues for Children (Hardcover)

It is difficult to find good resources to teach our children about the "big" things in life - happily, this book has been an excellent way for our family to talk about choosing good (warm places) over sin (lonely places). This book explains what each of the seven vices are: what they look like, what they feel like, and how choosing those things will lead you to a lonely place indeed, removed from God and removed from others. It then illustrates the seven virtues, the warm places: what they look like, how we can put them into action. It closes with a prayer, asking God to lead us to the warm places, closer to Him. More than just that, however, this book explains each of them in terms that young children can understand and relate to. For example, how on earth would you explain the sin of lust to a child?? This book has a wonderful, simple, and yet profound, explanation.

Our 5-year-old daughter chose this book and requested it, on her own. We thought it was a rather unusual choice for such a little person, but we have returned to this book again and again. We've talked about our day, and things that went well, our "warm places"... and also times that we've chosen greed, or pride, i.e. the lonely places. Even at such a young age, our daughter is learning how to identify what are good and true choices in her behavior, and what choices are hard, lonely, sinful.

This is not a book to leave alone on the shelf. Rather, it is one to read with your child, to discuss with your child, to return to when the occasion arises. It is a superb tool for parents in guiding character development and faith formation.