Make Room on Your Shelf for This Graphic Novel!

Today I'd like to introduce you to an inspiring new graphic novel for kids - The Cross and the Stag; the Incredible Adventures of Saint Eustathius, by Gabriel Wilson. 

It is Ancient Faith Publishing's inaugural book into the graphic novel format, the first in their new "Among the Saints" series written to inspire both children and adults.

I am so excited about this book! Gabriel Wilson's illustrations are striking, and graphic novels are a great way to introduce kids to stories of the saints!

For those unfamiliar with graphic novels, they are like comics, but the format is longer and the self-contained story has a definite beginning, middle, and end. 

Wondering if graphic novels are a good fit for your child?  Click on the link to explore this article from scholastic: A Guide to Using Graphic Novels with Children and Teens.

Now, on to The Cross and the Stag...

This is one incredible adventure story, about a very godly man and his brave family.  Not all saint stories would work well as graphic novels, but this one was practically begging to for it! (As are many others - I can't wait to see what more will come from Ancient Faith Publishing). 

In art school, author/artist Gabriel Wilson became very interested in graphic design, animation, and comics and was inspired to switch out super heroes for saints in his comic-format stories! Drama, action, love, adventure, death, and hope - they are all in this heroic tale.

Book description from AFP:
He lost his wealth. 
He lost his family. 
He lost his station. 
He endured it all, to gain everything. 
Roman Commander Placidas was a man of great power and influence. He and his family wanted for little, yet he knew there had to be more to life. Once baptized into the Christian faith as Eustathius, he faced trials beyond anything he had ever experienced on the battlefield. His faith was challenged, but that same faith gained him eternal life. Meet this great man in Ancient Faith Publishing's first graphic novel.

• Age Range: 7 years and up 
• Author/Illustrator: Gabriel Wilson 
• Format: Paperback 
• Dimensions: 7 x 10 inches 
• Page Length: 56 pages 
• Publisher: Ancient Faith Publishing

Listen to Bobby Maddex interview the author here, on Ancient Faith's podcast Ex Libris.  And then order this book, available here.

Now, THIS Is What I Call A Princess Book!

Brand new from Potamitis Publishing...
Your daughter needs this book, and so do you!  It is sure to become a family treasure.

Egle-Ekaterine Potamitis' gorgeous jewel-tone illustrations accompany the fascinating stories of twelve brave, royal women saints in My Holy Queens and Princesses.

This lavishly illustrated, large format hardcover book by Dionysios and Egle-Ekaterine Potamitis is 100+ pages and includes audio CD. 

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK:
- It's about queen and princess saints.

- The illustrations are beautiful (did I mention that already?)  

- The introduction pages for each woman saint look like illuminated manuscripts.

- The stories are thoughtfully told and presented within a historical context.

- Boys will like this book too - there are lots of kings and princes in the stories!

- Each story concludes with a short summary of the saint's life and her feastday date.

-The audio CD included with the book is an added bonus.

*There are twelve saints stories in all - including some of our personal family favorites: Alexandra (Queen who followed the God of George), Esther (Old Testament Queen of Persia), Olga (Queen of the North and Grandmother of Prince Vladimir), and Ludmila (The Queen of the Czechs and Grandmother of King Wenceslas).

Potamitis Publishing is a family publishing ministry that is known for producing dogmatically correct, beautiful, and intriguing books for Orthodox children. As of October 2018, they have published more than 160 books in English, as well as in Greek, Romanian, Russian, and fourteen other languages.

Psst...Pascha Giveaways

Giveaway #1 - A Child's Guide to Confession.  This wonderful book (companion to A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy) is a great little volume to tuck inside a child's Easter basket! Perfect size for young hands, with lovely and colorful illustrations.

From Ancient Faith Publishing: 

This 100-page, easy-to-use aid will help a child understand and prepare for confession. Designed for both younger and older children, this book assists the child with brief, inspirational thoughts followed by prayers and an age-appropriate self-examination based on 1 Corinthians 13 (the "love chapter").  Available from AFP, here. 
Leave a comment (by 4/23/19) at the end of my post telling me you'd like a chance to win this book - be sure to leave your email so I can contact you!

Giveaway #2 - Spyridon's Shoes by Christine Rogers. Your kids (especially boys!) are in for a treat with this chapter book.  Spyridon's Shoes is a fun read, and Christine Rogers has done an amazing job in introducing young readers to the special-ness of having a relationship with the saints gone on before.

From Ancient Faith Publishing:
Young Spyros spends his days fishing, octopus hunting, and dreaming of attending school like his best friend, Niko. When he encounters an elderly man on the beach after an accident, his whole life begins to shift and change. But who is this mysterious, saintly man, and why is his friendship so important? Take a short trip back in time to the Greek island of Corfu and discover the real reason for the mystery surrounding Spyridon's shoes.  Available from AFP, here.
Leave a comment (by 4/23/19) at the end of my post telling me you'd like a chance to win this book - be sure to leave your email so I can contact you!

Before seeing "The Durrells in Corfu" series on PBS, I had never heard of the Greek Island on which St. Spyridon lived. Both the television series and Gerald Durrell's entertaining account of life on Corfu, My Family and Other Animals, mention a comedic, rather than mystical, encounter with St. Spryridon's relics. I highly recommend the book (which by the way, is child friendly, whereas the TV series is not) as a read aloud to kids who love animals and nature. (Not part of my giveaway.)

The youngest of the family’s four children, Gerald, whose love of animals drove him to become a famous zoologist, wrote in his 1956 book how the family stayed for five years in this Mediterranean paradise until the onset of World War II. ‘Living in Corfu,’ he concluded of the hilarious adventures he recounted, ‘was rather like living in one of the more flamboyant and slapstick comic operas.’ [source]

Giveaway #3 - The Resurrection of Christ, translated by Fr. John Hogg from the Russian, by Elena Trostnikova with colorful iconographic illustrations by Olga Podivilova.  

Fr. John has recently started a publishing company, Exaltation Press, so that he can begin publishing good quality Orthodox books in English that he's translating from other languages as he works with Orthodox publishers from other countries.

This is the Paschal book from the series “Scriptures and Feasts for Children” (books are all pictured at the top of this post). This book goes through the events of Holy Week — the Entrance into Jerusalem, the Mystical Supper, the betrayal, crucifixion, Death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ.  Each scriptural evenT is explained in a clear and simple way that is suitable for the very youngest children.

The illustrations are gorgeous!  Look at the end covers...

At the end of the book is a glossary and "How to Tell Children about the Resurrection" section that goes into a more detailed explanation of the events for parents.  (One thing to note is that since the books are translated from Russian, some of the traditions mentioned in celebrating Pascha - "kulich", cheese Pascha, and pussywillows (for Palm Sunday) - may or may not be unfamiliar to readers from Antiochian or Greek Orthodox traditions.)

Fr. John has done a series of three books, "Scripture and Feasts for Children". All these beautiful books are available from Exaltation Press, here.
Leave a comment (by 4/23/19) at the end of my post telling me you'd like a chance to win this book - be sure to leave your email so I can contact you!

PASCHA 2019 GIVEAWAY RULES:
1 - Leave a comment telling me which book (or books) you'd like a chance to win for your children (or grandchildren, godchildren, nieces, or nephews!) 
2 - There will be three winners, with one book per winner.
3 - Be sure to include your email so I can get in touch with you.  If you are uncomfortable leaving it in the comment section, just send an email to me:wendyb1963@sbcglobal.net.
4 - You must leave a comment by midnight on Tuesday April 23, 2019.  Closed for comments after that time.

Summer Harvest

And so with Peter, John, and James, 

Our God, whom heaven's hosts proclaim,

Climbs up Mount Tabor, there to pray, 

Where, look! He shines more bright than day.

-from The Transfiguration of Our Lord

by Mother Melania, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis

In many Christian denominations, August 6th is the commemoration day of the revealing of Christ's radiant divinity to his disciples, Peter, James and John: the "Feast of the Transfiguration".

Every year our family attends a liturgy for the Transfiguration at our Orthodox parish, where many beautiful scriptures and hymns are read and sung in celebration of this special summer feast day.  And we bring...fruit! 

It is tradition to bless fruits on this day - especially grapes. Why grapes? This is an ancient Christian custom.  At the beginning of  August, farmers used to gather the early fruits of their summer harvest (grapes, figs etc.) and present them in the Church to be blessed and to given freely to the congregation. [source]

These fruits are called the “beginnings”. They show physical transformation and represent a religious transformation (i.e. wine in Holy Communion).  

Two girls in our parish, excitedly watching the blessing,
and waiting for the grapes to be passed out to be eaten
at the end of the service!

The book The Transfiguration of Our Lord, featured at the top of this post, can be listened to  here, where it is beautifully read by Dr. Chrissi Hart on Ancient Faith Radio's program "Under the Grapevine".





All the books from the "Twelve Great Feasts for Children" series, by Mother Melania (formerly Sister Elayne), can be purchased here, from Ancient Faith Publishing.

(About the "Twelve Great Feasts for Children" series: Glowing watercolor illustrations highlight the beauty of each of the Church's feast days. The simple, psalm-like poems are written especially for children, but the whole family will enjoy them. In the Orthodox Church Year, the Feast of Feasts, in a class by itself, is the Resurrection. After the Resurrection in importance come the twelve Great Feasts. These feasts are the Church’s celebration of, and participation in, key events leading to our salvation. Little books for little hands. 24 pages each.)

Icon of the Transfiguration [source and more information]

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRIST'S CROSS?

Have you ever wondered what happened to the Cross of Christ, after his crucifixion? Well, the answer involves a queen named Helena, who was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.  In the twentieth year of his reign (326), the Emperor sent his mother to Jerusalem to find the site of the Holy Sepulchre and of the True Cross (a story in itself). After finding the Cross in Jerusalem, Queen Helena travelled to Cyprus to gift a small piece of the Cross to the church there. Too much for kids to comprehend?  Not in this new children's book, THE QUEEN AND THE CATS: A Story of Saint Helena, by Calee Lee.  It debuts today, September 14, which for Orthodox and Catholic Christians is a special "feast day" commemorating the finding of the Cross of Christ...


Told through the eyes of a young girl, the story begins as Queen Helena arrives to bring the greatest of gifts to the people of Cyprus. But when she tries to present the treasure, the Queen discovers that the local churches have been infested with a deadly problem: snakes! It’s up to Queen Helena and the little village girl to come up with a solution that will make the churches safe once more.

As Calee describes it, “this story brings Saint Helena to life in a way that is both accessible and enjoyable for little ones. The lives of the saints provide so many rich stories for our children. I’m thrilled to have partnered with illustrator Turbo Qualls to bring this story to Catholic and Orthodox families around the world.”

While this captivating picture book is geared towards kids ages 4-8, older siblings will be quick to take over the read-aloud duties and littler ones won't be able to resist Turbo's 24 full-color graphics. This is the first story of its kind to be available in ebook format (the Kindle version is less than $5 and works on phones, tablets, laptops and more).  But not to worry, all you "traditional book" people (like me) can preview and purchase a print copy from Amazon by clicking HERE.

Calee M. Lee visited the island of Cyprus for Holy Week in 2009 and fell in love with the country’s beautiful scenery and friendly cats. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Calee has worked extensively as a freelance writer, editor and video producer. She attends Saint Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, California with her husband and two children. You can read more about Calee on her BLOG.

Turbo Qualls is an accomplished artist and illustrator in the Southern California area. Along with his wife and four children, Turbo attends St. Barnabas Orthodox Church in Costa Mesa, California.

And just in case you were wondering...Saint Helena really did send cats to the island of Cyprus. There’s even a breed of cat called the "St. Helen" that is traced back to her gift. Click here to read more...