Rosie Goes to Church
The naturally inquisitive mind of a child wants to know the answers to so many questions. Churches are special places which can fascinate children. But how to answer them when they ask such questions as, “What is a tabernacle?” or “What are the stations of the cross?” The Salesians of Don Bosco have produced a small book written by a primary school teacher which attempts to answer such questions in a simple but attractive way. It follows Rosie and her family on their journey of discovery in church, an enjoyable but instructive experience for them and for any child who reads this book. The book is an ideal present for parents, grandparents, godparents or friends to give to a child.
Rosie goes European
The idea for this book started in Munich at a meeting of Salesian Publishers from various provinces in Europe. They were looking for a project to mark their intention to unite forces for the European production of suitable religious books for children and those who work with the young. They decided to begin with a book on the church for primary school children. A basic German version was finalised. By October 2000, an advance copy of the book was ready for discussion. Language was still a problem between members of the group and discussions had to be carried out in Italian, English, and German!
It was intended that the book would appear in eight languages and there would be a run of about 20,000 copies. The book would have the same drawings in full colour in all eight versions. Only the text would differ. Such a combined production would make it easy to print and cut costs enormously.
And so ‘Rosie goes to church’ was born, a truly European child speaking English and bringing with her the rich cultural heritage of Christian Europe.
Rosie comes to England
The Salesians fully expected ‘Rosie goes to church’ to be popular but even they were surprised at the reception it received. Saint Matthew’s Church, West Norwood, London sold 85 copies in two weeks. A nearby parish ordered 30 copies immediately. The response of one six year old child gives an insight into the value of the book. The child’s grandmother gave her a copy of ‘Rosie goes to church’ saying, “Your dad can read this to you.” quickly answered, “No! I can read it to him.” ‘Out of the mouths of babes.’ It seems that parents are learning from this book. They are being reminded of the significance of many of the things they have taken for granted in church. We can all forget what we once learnt and perhaps we all need reminding. After all children expect us to know. It seems that ‘Rosie’ is good news for all of us.
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