D is for Dalahäst!

In olden days a wooden Dala horse - "Dalahäst" - was a toy for children; in modern times it has become a symbol of Sweden itself.

Since these red hand painted horses have been part of Swedish folkart for over 300 years, a trip to Scandinavia would be incomplete without a visit to a workshop where the popular wooden horses are still made today.  Here's what I saw...

Before the 1920's and the invention of the bandsaw, Dala horses were completely made by hand. Today they are still hand carved and hand painted, after the horse pattern is stamped onto wooden blocks and cut out with the saw.

My grandson loves the little Dala horses I brought home to add to my small collection.  He set up a whole parade going across our kitchen table, and he was fascinated by the pictures I took at the workshop.

I decided to google "Swedish Dala horse" and found a video so my grandson could watch the whole process of how they are made.  

Go here to watch this excellent video all about the Dalahäst workshop I visited.

Which brings me to today's awesome Nordic alphabet picture book, D is for Dala Horse, written by Kathy-jo Wargin and illustrated beautifully by Renee Graef (she also illustrated the first American Girl Collection Kirsten books from Pleasant Company.)

Psst...I'll be giving away this Nordic alphabet book (and more)  soon, so stay tuned to my upcoming Scandinavian Literary Travel posts!

As my grandson and I read D is for Dala Horse together, we had fun going back and forth from the cute book illustrations and descriptions for each letter to my (very!) similar photos.  The author included many of the interesting things I saw, such as...

B is for...Bunad (a Norwegian way to dress)...

C is for...Copenhagen

D is for...Dala horse

F is for...Fjords

H is for...Hans Christian Anderson

O is for...Oslo

R is for...Runestones

T is for...Troll... 

V is for...Viking ship

I've got lots more to tell you about Scandinavia in my upcoming posts. You can find D is for Dala Horse here (or wait for my Scandinavian Giveaway!)  Remember, you're always welcome here on my Good Books For Young Souls Blog...come in and stay awhile!

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!