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.

The Hidden Garden: A Story of the Heart...

It was with great excitement that we eagerly opened a package from Conciliar Press on Friday afternoon just minutes after our UPS man handed it over!  Inside was Jane G. Meyer's latest masterpiece, The Hidden Garden:  A Story of the Heart.  It is a book with a truly lovely message of hope, forgiveness, and redemption.  

Written as a parable, The Hidden Garden is an old man's exhortation to his little grandson to tend the spiritual garden in his heart with prayer, love, and good deeds.  The author's poetic writing weaves the old man's tale beautifully as he recalls a life living without Christ and then the change that comes over him as he asks for help from the Lord.  Masha Lobastov's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to Jane Meyer's story.  They are bold and colorful and yet possess a dream-like quality that is captivating to young children.

As Great Lent quickly approaches, I can think of no other book to purchase this year to help children understand the benefit of drawing closer to the Lord.  They will receive gentle instruction on praying ceaselessly, loving one another, and helping those in need.  The Hidden Garden is a gem that you will enjoy reading with your child over and over again!

Saint George and the Dragon...

A few months ago, we went on a trip to Saint Vladimir's Seminary and I was able to shop in their bookstore. What a treat! While there, we pre-ordered Saint George and the Dragon and a week or so ago, it came! What a book! Jim Forest has done an excellent job of re-telling this legend in a way that will interest children. One of the most lovely parts of the book is when Saint George declares that he is a Christian knight and proceeds to explain in a beautiful and very child-friendly way all about Christianity. It is also very helpful that several pages in the back of the book are dedicated to explaining the real Saint George. After reading Saint George and the Dragon, it is quite easy for parents to speak to their children about who Saint George really was because the information on this beloved saint in right in their hands.

Vladislav Andrejev's work is visually stunning and his illustrations for this book are the perfect pairing to Forest's words. I wasn't prepared by the cover for how glorious they actually are! There are thirteen full page iconographic illustrations in the book (as well as several smaller ones) and each one tells the legend of Saint George visually. The colors are rich and though the story has several scary parts, the illustrations aren't graphic or gory in any way.

My own little ones are delighted with this storybook. They were properly horrified by the dragon and loved the story of Saint George saving Princess Elizabeth, taming the dragon, and baptizing an entire kingdom. To be honest, when I was pre-ordering the book, I was a little taken aback by the cost ($20)... especially since I wasn't able to see it prior to ordering. I can tell you that the price is worth it. This book will be treasured by your family! In fact, I will be donating our copy of Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges to our library's book sale. We have no need for it now that we have this gorgeous book. Bravo, Mr. Forest!

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!

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
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The Twelve Great Feasts Series
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The Three Day Pascha Series
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The Man and the Vine
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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

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Week Ll ~ Ll is for Lucia

St. Lucia: Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde

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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.

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.

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