Purpose of this Blog...

You may have noticed that not all books are equal in capturing children's imaginations and in cultivating those innocent, tender souls. My goal is to help you find the ones that do!
(Painting by Mary Cassatt: "Mrs Cassatt Reading to her Grandchildren" -1888)




Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Bright Week Picture Book Giveaway..."An Orthodox Christian Alphabet"

For us as Orthodox Christians, the week following Pascha - "Bright Week" - is a joyful time of basking in our Lord's resurrection - a week of celebration, feasting, and special hymns and prayers in our homes and churches.


It ushers in the next 40 days leading up to Ascension; we begin our morning and evening prayers with the words, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death!  And upon those in the tombs bestowing life!". And we greet each other with, "Christ is Risen!", responding with, "Truly He is Risen!"

I've decided to have a little post-Easter celebration here on my blog.  I'm giving away my hardcover review copy of a lovely new picture book just out from Ancient Faith Publishing:  H is for Holy: an Orthodox Christian Alphabet by Nika Boyd, illustrated by Heather Hayward.


One thing I know parents and kids will really like about this picture book is its interactive quality: there are questions and observations that accompany each letter, making it a good read for families with kids of different ages.

For example,
C is for CROSS
When Christ died for us, He was on the cross.  We kiss the cross to worship Him as God.
Can you make the sign of the cross on yourself?
Can you find a cross in your home, in your church, or in your neighborhood?

E is for EPISTLE
"Epistle" means "letter".  The Bible contains many letters written by Christ's apostles.
Do you write letters to your friends?
Listen for the epistle next time you're in church.

M is for MARY
Mary is the mother of God; she gave birth to Jesus.
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she would be Jesus' mother.  Mary listened to God.
How can you listen to God?

As you can see from the book's cover art and example below, the illustrations are done in pen and ink, with bright watercolors - one full page for each letter of the alphabet.


Oh, and at the end of the book Nika has included a bonus page: the numbers 1-10, each with its corresponding Orthodox Christian reference.  ("1 - for the one true God, who is all in all.  2 - for Jesus Christ, who is God and man.  3 - for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...")

This picture book is perfect for ages 2-8!  (Two year olds will like simply repeating the letters and words and pointing to the the pictures that will help give them a good introduction to their Orthodox faith.  Older children will appreciate discussing the explanations and answering the questions that accompany each alphabetical word.)

GIVEAWAY OVER To enter my giveaway, simply leave a comment here at the end of this post.  Giveaway concludes Saturday, April 18, 2015 at midnight.  Winner will be announced on Sunday, April 19, 2015, and I'll mail out your book on Monday!


24 comments:

  1. What a lovely book! Would love reading it :)

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  2. that sounds perfect for my cute goddaughter, count me in :)

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  3. This sounds lovely :)! Would love to have it for Lucy!

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  4. I love that it asks questions, too!

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  5. Lovely book! Felicity adores reading!

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  6. What a great idea! I know more than one child who would benefit. :)

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  7. I have had my eye on this book for my 3 yo. I love the concept!

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    1. You are the winner of my giveaway! Congratulations!

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    2. You are the winner of my giveaway! Congratulations!

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  8. Thank you for sharing; what a beautiful book! My fiancee and I were asked to be godparents to our dear friends' baby girl yesterday, and I am in the process of scouting out just this sort of thing. I am truly humbled by their request and pray that God will grant us mercy to fulfill with this great responsibility, by His grace.

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  9. This looks like a wonderful book. I am sure my children would enjoy reading it.

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  10. Thank you for sharing; what a beautiful book! My fiancee and I were asked to be godparents to our dear friends' baby girl yesterday, and I am in the process of scouting out just this sort of thing. I am truly humbled by their request and pray that God will grant us mercy to fulfill with this great responsibility, by His grace.

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  11. My kids would love this book!

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  12. what a sweet book! Love the corgi at the mailbox :D

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  13. This is a wonderful giveaway.
    Marion

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  14. What a great book.
    Joan

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  15. What a lovely book. Thank you for the generous giveaway.
    Marilyn

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  16. We have My Orthodox Counting Book by Maria Khoury http://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Counting-Book-Stimulate-Curiosity/dp/B0045VKHV2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429372620&sr=8-1&keywords=Orthodox+Counting+Book

    I think this would be such a great companion book!

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    1. I will have to check out the Counting Book - haven't run across that one. You're right, they be perfect companion books. Thanks for mentioning it. :)

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  17. Thank you all for your comments - random.org (list randomizer) picked "Emmie" as the winner of my giveaway!

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