An Orthodox Boardbook: "Goodnight, Jesus"

I am so delighted that Ancient Faith Publishing has put out an Orthodox board book for toddlers!! Goodnight Jesus, written by Angela Isaacs, with illustrations by Nicholas Malara, is about as sweet and simple as a bedtime story can get...

The sturdy format makes this bedtime board book a huggable companion for little ones who are just beginning to eagerly bestow goodnight kisses not only upon Mommy, Daddy, their siblings and a picture of grandma, but also upon icons of Christ and the Saints.

A kiss for Jesus, Savior and Lord, 

 A kiss for Mary, His mother, 

 A kiss for Andrew, the first He called, 

 A kiss for Peter, his brother...

Angela Isaac's gentle rhyming text, and iconographer Nicholas Malara's colorful illustrations pair together perfectly as they beautifully communicate the tender innocence of goodnight kisses given to those we love.

Goodnight Jesus is a sweet treasure.  I predict my 17-month-old grandson and his preschool-aged big brother will ask to have this bedtime story read to them over and over again!  (It's not too early to think about Christmas, is it?  I know I'll be giving this book to lots of special little somebodies in December!)

Celebrating St. Lucy, a Young Woman of Faith!

To be a woman of faith, even when you're just beginning to think of becoming a woman someday, means to reflect the light of Christ so brightly, that people see past your clothes and your friends and your plans. People see not just who you are right now, but who you were meant to be.  It means to grab Jesus so tightly, it's hard for even you to tell where his work stops and yours begins.
-Calee M. Lee, author of Women of Faith

With St. Lucia Day coming up on December 13, I wanted to tell you about a beautiful new picture book that celebrates not only St. Lucia, but twelve other brave women saints as well!

The book is Women of Faith, written by Calee M. Lee and illustrated by Lisa Graves. Each of the saints is featured with her own story, a short prayer and a luminous watercolor portrait.

Calee's sweet introduction at the front of the book about her "friends" from both Orthodox and Catholic traditions is heartwarming. She gives a beautiful explanation about why we call them saints, and she writes directly to her young readers who will want to hear these stories over and over again...

I would like to introduce you to some friends of mine.  As girls, I'm sure they were funny and brave, just like you.  The loved flowers and their families and the chance to play with friends.  As they grew, they learned to be brave and kind and love everyone around them.  From this, we can know them hundreds and hundreds of years after they died

I'm enthralled with the exciting stories and their pairing with Lisa Graves' gorgeous medieval-style paintings.  The book's large 8 and 1/2-by 11-inch format showcases the illustrations perfectly.  

Young girls will be drawn to the portraits of these early Christian women saints and martyrs from around the world (prettier inside and out than any Disney Princesses!), who lived and died so courageously.

Included are St. Genevieve of Paris, St. Brigid of Ireland, St. Hermione, and St. Barbara, to name a few.

Now I'll leave you with a prayer for St. Lucia'a Day:

O Saint Lucy, your faith in God was a light in the world.  Give me that same light in my soul so that I may avoid evil, be brave in performing good works and hate nothing more than the blindness and darkness of evil and sin. Pray to God for me that my eyes will see clearly and that I will use them for God's glory.

Advent Book Calendars!

It can be challenging to find ways to help children keep their focus on the birth of Christ during the annual "Countdown to Santa and Christmas Presents" that our frenzied culture of consumers gets so caught up in. Well, thank goodness for another kind of countdown: Advent, a time of joyous expectation.

An Advent Calendar of Christmas Books: I'd like to share some ideas for incorporating beautiful Christmas picture books into your family traditions during this time of anticipation. It takes a little planning, but it's worth the forethought and effort...

photo - detailgalblog

1- You need to determine how many books you need - this will depend on how many days leading up to Christmas you'd like to do this activity (during all of Advent - from November 15, if you're Eastern Orthodox, or the 25 days of December - or maybe just the last week leading up to Christmas).

2- Need book recommendations? Click here for my Christmas Book Resource Page, if you need book recommendations.

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3- Choose the books. Gather Christmas books you already have. This is also a nice way to start collecting Christmas picture books - buy a few a year to add in!  You can also do what my daughter does: add library books - just be sure to label and read the ones from the library first, so they won't be overdue.

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4- Decide how you want to display your Advent Calendar of Books.  Some families put them in a basket, wrapped or unwrapped; others wrap them up and number them so their children can open one each night.  Either way, it's a fun read aloud activity for the whole family!

5- Challenged for time? If you don't have time to get all these books, you might be interested in one Advent Storybook, with a reading for each night of December, or The Story of Christmas, a book set and advent calendar.  You can find both on Amazon - pictured below.

Whatever you choose to do, I pray you have a blessed Advent, in preparation for the coming of our Lord at his Nativity!