Sasha and the Dragon

One of the latest offerings from Ancient Faith Publishing is a new book for children called Sasha and the Dragon, beautifully written by Laura E. Wolf with stunning illustrations by Nicholas Malara.  It is the story of Sasha, a little boy feeling lost and afraid amid big changes:  a new home in a new country full of strangers, a Baba who is suddenly bedridden , and, worst of all, a frightening dragon under his bed.

Wolfe tells Sasha's story in a way that every child can relate to.  Her language perfectly conveys Sasha's fears and his courage in facing them with the help of Saint Michael the Archangel. The illustrations in this book are charged with emotion and Malara's use of light and dark complements this tale in a magical way.

I could not have received Sasha and the Dragon at a better time in our children's life.  Our little 'Sasha' had been having his own fears and this book was instrumental in helping him face these dragons through the intersessions of Archangel Michael.  

Thank you for adding another gem to our children's library, Ancient Faith!

Goodnight Jesus

We recently received a copy of one of the latest books offered by Ancient Faith Publishing, Goodnight Jesus.  It is a beautifully and colorfully illustrated board book for babies and toddlers and is perfect for bringing to church services and reading at home.  I love that it was printed as a board book!  All three of our children loved being read to and we often chose board book versions of our favorite stories to ensure durability while in the hands (and mouths!) of the babies.

Kissing is one of the first things that a little one learns to do, and this nicely-sized board book is a good springboard for introducing the idea of kissing icons.  Goodnight Jesus is full of illustrations of Christ and the Mother of God, well-known saints of the Orthodox Church, and family members a baby would be familiar with.  The language is simple, yet lyrical and will capture the attention of busy toddlers.  I am very glad that Ancient Faith Publishers has put out another board book for the little people that we know and love.  It is a lovely companion for Josiah and Julia Go To Church, a family favorite!  

Note:  One thing that I did want to mention is the fact that the author chose to address the Savior as only "Jesus" without any title such as The Lord or Christ.  In addition, the word 'Saint' is not used before the names of the Saints illustrated within this book.  While this is common for many Protestant Christians, it may seem irreverent to some Orthodox Christians who might find this overly casual.

Catherine's Pascha...

 If you are searching for a great gift to tuck into a special little one's Pascha basket, look no further!  Catherine's Pascha is a delightful chronicle of the Feast of Feasts through the eyes of a very excited little girl.   Full of engaging text and vivid pictures, Catherine's Pascha is sure to become a favorite for years to come.  One of the best parts of this book were the detailed illustrations along the edges of each page depicting Orthodox Churches from around the word.  Be sure to take a look at the book trailer!

A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy...

I was very happy to hear that Ancient Faith Publishing was tackling the job of creating a children's Divine Liturgy book when I heard about it a few weeks ago.  Once we got a copy of A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy,  I was blown away.  These photographs simply do not do the illustrations justice.  Nearly every two page spread has a lovely drawing on it.  The colors are vivid and Megan Elizabeth Gilbert, the artist, incorporated collage into her work using real Liturgical fabric.  The effect is just breathtaking!  I love that Gilbert chose to illustrate this prayer book with a wide variety of Orthodox Christians from different backgrounds and nationalities...  her work is very easy to relate to for my little ones!  

Ancient Faith Publishing also made the decision to keep the amount of text in this little book spare.  I love that choice for two reasons:  

1.  It helps to keep the children's attention focused on the service itself, and not on the book in their hands.

2.  There are many different translations of the Liturgical texts.  With less text, the children won't be so distracted by the differences that are bound to be there. 

I am very thankful that Ancient Faith Publishing created A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy.  It is a wonderful tool for parents looking to help their children learn how to pray during the Liturgy and I believe that a copy of their wonderful prayer book should be in every Orthodox child's Christmas stocking this year! 

 

A Peek Inside A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy...

I often want to see what a book is like before I purchase it, so I thought that I would take a few photographs of A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy so that people can look at the amazing illustrations by Megan Elizabeth Gilbert (I love the diversity of people and vestment styles throughout the book as well as the collage of the liturgical fabric onto the illustrations!) and the translations that were used for some of the prayers.  A more formal review will be posted tomorrow.

Sweet Song...

This past Sunday, I pulled Sweet Song down from the shelf to share with the children in our church.  It is the second time that we have used this book about the life of Saint Romanos for our church school lesson since it has been published.  Both times, the children have been absolutely mesmerized by the beautiful story and accompanying pictures.

Sweet Song is a collaborative effort between Jane G. Meyer and Dorrie Papademetriou.  As we've come to expect from Meyer, this book is a treasure worthy of a prominent place on one's family bookshelf.  In prose that can only be described as lyrical, she tells the story of a young man struggling to read and sing during a time when hymns were often improvised.  Papademetriou's illustrations are rich, bold, and dramatically colored with detail that is simply stunning.

 

The job of teaching our children about the saints and our Faith has been made infinitely easier because of the efforts of Meyer and Papademetriou. We are very fortunate that they have dedicated their talent with pen and paintbrush to create such wonderful books for Orthodox families...  support their efforts by purchasing this amazing book! 

Saint Felix and the Spider...

Two of our favorite topics in this house are saints and animals.  Often our days are filled with books, artwork, television shows, and little outings that reflect these two interests of the little people in our house.  Therefore we were delighted to receive a package from Dessi Jackson containing her latest book, Saint Felix and the Spider!

What a delightful story!  Mrs. Jackson weaves the tale of Saint Felix and his little spider friend, Fedelis, in a way that captivates both young and old alike.  We all loved the gentle style the author employed to tell the story of the spider that saved Saint Felix from persecution by hiding him with her web.  It was a joy to read this children's book!

The pictures in this volume are delightful.  Lydia Grace Kadar-Kallen is a first time children's book illustrator and I predict that many more authors will commission her work for their books.  The illustrations are colorful, vibrant, and exacting.  Our little ones poured over the pictures long after the story was over looking at every little detail.

With the Christmas season upon us, consider adding Saint Felix and the Spider to your shopping lists for the children in your life.  This story will be enjoyed by your favorite little ones for years to come!

Jane!

Have you seen Jane G. Meyer's Bread Experiment?  She is our favorite Orthodox Children's Book author and it was so amazing to see her and her home and listen to her voice!  Enjoy!

Saint George and the Dragon...

Please visit Orthodox Children's Book Review to read my thoughts on Jim Forest's latest book, Saint George and the Dragon.

The Secret of Saint Nicholas...

Just before Thanksgiving, we received a copy of The Secret of Saint Nicholas to review. What a wonderful book! The children and I have read the story of Saint Nicholas secretly tossing gold coins into the stockings of three girls about to be sold into slavery several times and the little ones are just as enthralled with it as they were the first time that they heard it. Ellen Nibali writes the tale well, using a style that is easy for children to understand and yet pleasurable for the adult who is reading it to them. The illustrations by Lon Eric Craven are beautifully detailed and the colors are magnificent.

I was thankful that the author took the time to write a note to teachers and parents mentioning the fact that the story told in this book is inspired by an event in the life of Saint Nicholas. It is important to point out that Saint Nicholas was already a bishop when he performed the good deed of dropping the coins into the stockings and not a teenager as the story portrays.

If you are looking for a good book to give to your children in honor of Saint Nicholas, this is it! The Secret of Saint Nicholas will be a treasured read in our home for many Decembers to come!

The Lives of Saints for Children...

While we were at Saint Tikhon's, we had a wonderful time browsing in the bookstore. I was able to buy three books that I have wanted to get for the children for awhile. These books, Christina's Favorite Saints, A Child's Paradise of Saints, and Christina's True Heroes are ones that you and your children will treasure. Each book has a page or two (and an Icon!) for some of the more popular saints in the Orthodox Church. Here are the lives of the saints covered in the books:

Christina's Favorite Saints

Saint Anthony the Great
Saint Symeon
St Gerasimos of Jordan
Saint George the Great Martyr
Saints Constantine and Helen
Saints Peter and Paul
The Prophet Elijah
The Dormition of the Mother of God
Saint Sophia and Her Daughters, Faith, Hope, and Charity
Saint Kosmas the Melodos
Saint Katharine
Saint Herman

A Child's Paradise of Saints
Saints Constantine and Helen
Saints Cyprian and Justina
Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica
The Guardian Angel
Saint Herman of Alaska
Saint John the Russian
Saint Mary Magdalene
Saint Mary of Egypt
Saint Moses the Black
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
Saint Nina of Georgia
The Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon
Saint Philothei of Athens
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
Saint Xenia of Petersburg

Christina's True Heroes
Saint Anna, The Mother of The Mother of God
Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apsotles
Saint Photini, The Samaritan Woman
Saint Brigid, Abbess of Kildare
Saint Mary of Egypt
Saint Theodora
Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr

The Woman and the Wheat...

"And on her lips were prayers of all sorts: for the rain, and the sun, and the moon, and the wheat - and the bread that was to come."

Last week, I ordered Jane G. Meyer's book, The Woman and the Wheat, and I have read it to my little ones each day since the box landed on my doorstep! This book tells the story of a woman who plants wheat, waits for it to grow, reaps it, grinds it into flour, bakes the flour into Prosphora (Communion Bread), and brings the bread to church, where it becomes the Body and Blood of Christ.

To say that this book is beautiful is an understatement. Meyer's prose is lyrical and the perfect explanation for little ones (and big ones alike) of the Mystery of Holy Communion. The story of the wheat and passing of the seasons captivates my children. They love the pages describing the church, the Liturgy, and Holy Communion! They connect to this book more than any other that I can think of... enjoying the words and illustrations that tell the story of 'church bread" and people receiving Holy Communion just like they do!

The artwork for this book was done by Ned Gannon. Through his illustrations, one can almost feel the grains dropping into the earth, hear the combine harvesting the wheat, smell the freshly baked bread in the oven, and hear the choir singing in the church. Gannon's paintings are alive with color and his attention to detail is amazing! His work is truly a feast for the eyes!

I recommend that The Woman and the Wheat and its companion book, The Man and the Vine, be part of every Orthodox Christian's library. Together, they offer an enchanting introduction to the most important sacrament in the Orthodox Church, Holy Communion.

Essential Orthodox Children's Books...

Alexandra recently asked me to create a list of Orthodox Children's Books that I would recommend that she buy for her three year old son. This was a bit of a difficult task, because there are so many Orthodox children's books that we love. Below, you'll find the ones that I feel are essential for Orthodox families to own:

Children's Bible Reader
+++
The Twelve Great Feasts Series
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The Three Day Pascha Series
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The Man and the Vine
+++
The Woman and the Wheat

Once you have the books above (which will cover you for the major feasts of the Church, Daily Bible Reading, and the greatest of the Sacraments, Holy Communion, you can start collecting books from the Letters of Grace Orthodox book list:

Week Aa ~ Aa is for Andrew

The Cross on the Hill by Lesia Savedchuck

+++

Week Bb ~ Bb is for Brigid

The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildaire by Jane Meyer
Brigid's Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story by Bryce Milligan
St. Brigid's Cloak by Reg Keating
Lives of the Saints for Young People, Volume 5 edited by Constance J. Tarasar
Christina's True Heroes by Maria Khoury

+++

Week Cc ~ Cc is for Catherine

Saint Catherine by Dionysius and Ekaterine Potamitis
Grandmother's Spiritual Stories by Georgia Hronas
The Life and Sufferings of Saint Catherine the Great Martyr
(Advanced Level 3)

+++

Week Dd ~ Dd is for Dionysius

Saint Dionysius by Dionysius and Ekaterine Potamitis

+++

Week Ee ~ Ee is for Elizabeth

Christina's True Heroes by Maria Khoury
Ella's Story: The Duchess Who Became a Saint by Maria Tobias
(Advanced Level 3)

+++

Week Ff ~ Ff is for Forerunner

The Theophany of Our Lord by Mother Melania
The Children's Bible Reader

+++

Week Gg ~ Gg is for Gabriel

The Annunciation by Mother Melania
Tell Us About the Angels, Grandma by Georgia Hronas
The Illustrated Life of the Theotokos for Children, by Georgia and Helen Hronas
The Children's Bible Reader

+++

Week Hh ~ Hh is for Herman

North Star: St. Herman of Alaska by Dorrie Papademetriou
A Child' Paradise of Saints by Nun Nectaria McLees
St. Herman of Alaska by S.A. Smith
Journey Across North America: American Saint Stories for Elementary Age Children by Ann Marie Gidus-Mecera

+++

Week Ii ~ Ii is for Innocent

Printable illustrated life will be made available.
From Earth to Heaven: The Apostolic Adventures of St. Innocent of Alaska
(Advanced Level 3)
St. Innocent of Alaska: Apostle and Missionary by Sarah Elizabeth Cowie
(Advanced Level 3)

+++

Week Jj ~ Jj is for John

St. John and Goolya by Tamara N. Zaherk
The Life of Saint John, Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco (for Children) by Maria Naumenko

+++

Week Kk ~ Kk is for Kevin

The Blackbird's Nest: St. Kevin of Ireland by Jenny Schroedel

+++

Week Ll ~ Ll is for Lucia

St. Lucia: Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde

+++

Week Mm ~ Mm is for Moses

Baby Moses by Mother Melania
The Children's Bible Reader

+++

Week Nn ~ Nn is for Nicholas

The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi
The Life of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (St. Nectarios Press)
The Storm and the Sea: A Story About the Life of St. Nicholas by Ann Maria Gidus-Mecera

+++

Week Oo ~ Oo is for Ostrog (St. Basil of Ostrog)

Printable illustrated life will be made available.

+++

Week Pp ~ Pp is for Patrick

The Life of St. Patrick: Enlightener of the Irish by Zachary Lynch
Saints for All Ages, Volume 6 edited by Constance J. Tarasar

+++

Week Qq ~ Qq is for Queen

The Story of Mary the Mother of God by Dorrie Papademetriou
The Illustrated Life of the Theotokos for Children by Georgia and Helen Hronas
(Level 3)
The Children's Bible Reader

+++

Week Rr ~ Rr is for Romanos

Grandmother's Spiritual Stories by Georgia Hronas
Saint for All Ages: Poets and Hymnographers of the Church, Volume 9 edited by Constance J. Tarasar

+++

Week Ss ~ Ss is for Seraphim

St. Seraphim's Beatitudes by Paul Drozdowski
A Child's Paradise of Saints by Nun Nectaria McLees
Saints for All Ages: Founder of Russian Monasticism, Volume 7 edited by Constance J. Tarasar
The Life of St. Seraphim of Sarov for Children compiled by Maria Naumenko

+++

Week Tt ~ Tt is for Tikhon

Journey Across North America: American Saint Stories for Elementary Age Children by Ann Maria Gidus-Mecera

+++

Week Uu ~ Uu is for Unmercenaries

Printable illustrated life wil be made available.

+++

Week Vv ~ Vv is for Valentine

Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda
Lives of the Saints for Young People, Volume 11 by Bishop Lazar Puhalo

+++

Week Ww ~ Ww is for Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale

+++

Week Xx ~ Xx is for Xenia

A Child's Paradise of Saints by Nun Nectaria McLees

+++

Week Yy ~ Yy is for Youths (The Three Holy Youths)

The Children's Bible Reader

+++

Week Zz ~ Zz is for Zacharias

Tell Us About the Angels, Grandma by Georgia Hronas
The Illustrated Life of the Theotokos for Children by Georgia and Helen Hronas
The Children's Bible Reader

These books will not only enable you to work through our alphabet curriculum, but will fill in some of the lives of the more well-known Saints in the Orthodox Church.

In addition to the above books, Anna and Mary labored over a wonderful Monthly and Seasonal Reading List for Orthodox Families this past year. They also created a list for the season of Nativity entitled, Reading Through the Season of Nativity, which is chock full of wonderful books for the saints celebrated during that period, as well as books for the Great Feasts that fall then and the actual Great Feast of Nativity itself.

There are a lot of books on these various lists. In our family, it will take us many years to collect them all, but I know that of all the books that I want our family to read, enjoy, and own, these are them. I can get a wide variety of books from our library and from our little children's books store, Barnes and Noble, and from Amazon. These titles however are far more difficult to get because they are from many different publishing houses and websites. However, they are worth the trouble and expense! They will help Fr John and me to teach our children the Orthodox Faith and will become a treasured part of living through the Liturgical Year with our children.

Please Note: Some of the titles on these lists are duplicated.

A Pocketful of Seeds...

When the package with A Pocketful of Seeds arrived, I eagerly ripped into the envelope. I have been reading Sylvia's blog, Adventures of an Orthodox Mom for nearly two years now and couldn't wait to see her first children's book! My excitement was justified! It is a beautiful book full of Orthodox Spirituality for children.

The story is told from the perspective of a young boy who is living through a war evacuation and is separated from his family. He meets a holy monk named Papouli and they begin traveling together planting seeds all across the land despite harsh conditions and opposition from the people they encounter.

Both young and old will enjoy this beautiful story of love, perseverance, and forgiveness. Our daughter was especially taken by the beauty of A Pocketful of Seeds. She has requested we read this book aloud over and over for weeks now. Since both Father John and I both enjoy the story, we are happy to oblige! A Pocketful of Seeds is one book that will always have a home on our shelf!

***

A Pocketful of Seeds was recently honored by being read by Dr. Chrissi Hart on her radio program, Under the Grapevine. Listen to Program 129 when you have a chance!

The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildare...

A few days ago, I received a copy of The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildare by Jane G. Meyer to review. I am embarrassed to admit I knew nothing of Saint Brigid's life until I read the book. When the package arrived, I ripped it open and devoured the book right then and there (the children were napping or else I would have read it to them, too!). I loved reading about this saint and am so glad to know more about her!

One of the best things about this book is the content. Though the book is written in easy to understand prose, it is chock full of wonderful information about the saint. The book is clearly meant for children, but I believe that this is a book that every adult should own as well.

The illustrations for The Life of Saint Brigid are beautiful Celtic style paintings. I thought that it added so much to have the traditional style of artwork used to depict scenes from Saint Brigid's life. I really liked the icons that the illustrator, Zachary Lynch, painted alongside the Celtic knot work designs and illustrations of the saint's life throughout the book.

This children's book was written for little ones aged four and up. Our eldest child is three and while this book went a bit over her head, she did get something from it. She loved the part of the book that discussed Saint Brigid's pantry being blessed by God so that she could give food away to the poor. In addition, she was quite interested in the concept of becoming a nun - something I genuinely thought was beyond her comprehension. She was very drawn to one of the illustrations of Saint Brigid after she had become a nun and was dressed in white (I think because it reminded her of an icon we have of Saint Elisabeth the New Martyr).

A hard concept for Sugar Plum to understand was the fact that many of the illustrations showed the people and animals with expressions that she described as "sad" or "angry." The style of Celtic art is to use teardrop shaped eyes which often create that sad or angry look in the pictures. I believe that this was tricky for our daughter to understand because she often uses the pictures to help her understand what is going on in the story and the way things looked didn't mesh with the words that I was reading to her. I truly feel that we had difficulty with this because Sugar Plum is only three and the book is meant for slightly older children who would be better able to understand the differences in artistic style.

I really loved this book and am so happy that we have a copy for our collection of Orthodox children's books! I am very thankful that I now know about this wonderful saint and plan on finding an icon of her to hang in our kitchen next to one of Saint Euphrosynos the Cook. The life of Saint Brigid offers so much encouragement to us all! I hope that you will read and enjoy this book as much as we did!

Orthodox Children's Illustrated Bible Reader...

My parents bought this children's Bible for Sugar Plum in honor of her namesday earlier this month... it arrived just in time this evening! We've been visiting both sides of our family since Sunday and are returning home bright and early tomorrow morning. I am so excited about reading it to our little ones!

Book Review: Pictures of God...

I saw this book in the latest Conciliar Press catalogue and ordered it right away. We ended up giving it to Sugar Plum on the Anniversary of her Baptism and it has been a favorite in our house ever since.


One of the things that I like the most about this book is that it can be read and understood at a variety of different ages. There is a brief "Notice This" section that is perfect for younger children and a longer section to the left with more detail on each of the icons presented. The icons that the author chose for this books are beautiful and very common to the churches in America (in my experience). I think that children who read this book with their parents will be able to pick out the icons that they learn about in Pictures of God in their own parishes.


The only thing that I found disappointing was the icon of the Saints of North America. They are missing Saint Raphael of Brooklyn! This book was published after his canonization and I wish that an icon including him was chosen.

I am very happy that we added this book on icons to our collection and think that it will help our children to understand icons and notice details in icons much more than they would have without reading this book. If you are looking for a book to add to your children's library, I don't think that you will be disappointed with this one!