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!
