Kingdom Travel: How to Pack Your Bag

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matt 9:14

More often then not, we adults can learn important things from young children. Jane G. Meyer's newest picture book The Suitcase has us doing just that!  This sweet story celebrates a young child's enthusiasm to put into practice the words of Christ: to feed and clothe the poor; help the needy; and love one's neighbor.

Thomas feels safe in his ordered life on his family's farm. He happily spins in circles for hours while reciting the alphabet, chats with his goat each morning, and then lines up his whole collection of blocks - starting from his upstairs bedroom and ending down in his backyard.

But one Sunday, after coming home from church, Thomas does something unexpected. To the surprise of his questioning family, he shows up at the dinner table with...a suitcase!

When his mother asks him where he's going, he replies, "To the Kingdom of Heaven." As he begins to show his family the contents of his suitcase, they (and we, the readers) are touched by what he's packed, and how he's literally taken to heart the messages of Jesus' parables.

If you're a parent, you have undoubtedly observed that for young children (and especially those on the autism spectrum), abstract ideas can be difficult, so things they hear are often interpreted in a very literal, concrete way.

But shouldn't we all be more like children?  Thomas has packed food and clothing for the poor, a platter to serve them, some coins, a mustard seed, and a pearl, among other things.

And thank goodness no one laughs at him when he asks, "So, can I go now?" His father gently explains that the Kingdom of God is right here, and that Thomas - because of his giving heart - has already gone through its gate and is on the path.

The story ends with Thomas's family joining him on his journey, as they share the Kingdom with others by serving a meal to the homeless.  May we all be inspired to "pack our bags" with good things for God's Kingdom.

Nor will they say, "Look, here it is!" or "There!" For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst. - Luke 17:21

Chiara Pasqualotto's warm and soothing watercolor illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to Jane's sweet storytelling.
Published by Paraclete Press, The Suitcase is available there, and on Amazon.
Click here for Jane's awesome Activity Guide to the book.

NOTE: I received an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

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!