PASCHA WISHES and GIVEAWAY RESULTS

Thanks to all who participated in my Three-Book
 -Pascha-Giveaway!  I truly appreciate your taking the time to comment, as well as your pursuit of good books! 

Robyn, Christy, and Amy were the giveaway winners. 

Keep reading!  And have a Blessed Pascha!

This beautiful image is from a card from St. Vladimir's Seminary.

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.

A Palestinian Girl's Easter Traditions...

Today I'm reviewing a new book, Easter in Ramallah, written by Wafa Shami, with illustrations by Shaima Farouki.

This book focuses on the springtime Lent and Easter traditions of the author's remembered childhood in Ramallah. The Orthodox Church serves as backdrop of the story, without explanation given as to the spiritual meaning behind the somber and celebratory services and traditions that are the focus of the story.  Depending on the reader, this omission may or may not feel like there is something lacking in the message of the book. 

The story centers on a Christian Palestinian girl named Noor.  Her best friend Laila lives next door, and the two eight year olds are enjoying a spring day during Lent. 

They share a sweet and honest friendship and are comparing their families' fasting practices. Laila, a Muslim, thinks Noor's fasting tradition sounds more difficult than hers. And Noor thinks the same about Laila's!

Noor's family has another Lenten tradition besides fasting - they attend church services during Holy Week.  The beautiful Good Friday Mass is Noor's favorite.

Saturday arrives with its Light Parade.  People line the street, lighting their candles from the Clergymen who have come with long candles lit in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.*  There are marching bands of girl and boy scouts.

After the parade, Noor returns home for another tradition - one that is familiar to Americans: coloring Easter eggs.  But Noor and her mother use boiled vegetables to make the colors to dye their eggs!  Earlier in the week they also baked special Easter treats - Ka'ek and ma'moul cookies.

Easter Sunday arrives and Noor goes off to church in her beautiful dress, carrying her Easter basket.  Afterward, her whole neighborhood celebrates... 

 "The neighborhood was just filled with joy, neighbors going from door to door offering their holiday greetings. The kids' excitement with eating Easter chocolate and cookies and smashing the colorful Easter eggs filled the place with laughter, love and the holiday spirit."

Laila joins in the neighborhood fun later in the day and Noor shares some of her Easter Eggs.  Leila is excited to share her Eid El Fitr celebration with Noor at the end of Ramadan.

I think this story is a lovely look at the Easter traditions of another culture, as well as an example of the harmonious relationship that is possible in the innocent friendship of children from two different religious cultures.  May we all aspire to that!

Easter in Ramallah is available on AMAZON.  You can also find Wafa Shami online - at her website, "Palestine in a Dish", here.

*For 1,200 years, every Great and Holy Saturday, the Greek Patriarch has awaited the light in a small dark chamber of the church. After a time he emerges with a lit candle and reassures the gathered throngs that the miracle has occurred again. That flame is used to light many candles, which are then transported to Christian towns throughout Palestine and placed in churches. Some people take the light home and try to keep it flickering throughout the year.

"Spring Is Here Today! Winter's Gone Away!"

I brought out my vintage 1953 copy (second printing - it was originally published in 1945) of Lois Lenski's adorable SPRING IS HERE to show you, as I gather some things for our upcoming annual Annunciation Tea at church.

The Feast of the Annunciation, on March 25, falls close to the first day of Spring every year.  I find it a happy irony that in the midst of Lent, as we are saying goodbye to winter, the Annunciation is an event that reminds us to look forward to Christ's birth in nine months on December 25!

The women and girls of our parish always have a Lenten tea in March in honor of the Virgin Mary, celebrating the day she said "yes" to God when the Archangel Gabriel visited her.

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!"

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God..."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered.  "May your word to me be fulfilled."

I love what our Bp. BASIL said in his essay, Mary Our Cause Of Rejoicing:

"In a very real way, she [at just age fourteen] became the first to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She alone among all humanity can say that she not only received Jesus into her heart spiritually, but she housed Jesus in her womb, in her body."

 
(This essay originally appeared in The Handmaiden, Vol. 1 No. 1, published in the winter of 1996 by Conciliar Press. Bishop BASIL [Essey] is Bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. You can read his essay in its entirety, here, on the Antiochian.org website.)

 Scripture above quoted from Luke 1:26-38 NIV

Lenten Meditations for Families

Can you feel your soul beginning to quiet?  Lent is here!  As I type this, my house is so still.  No television.  No music.  Peace.

Ancient Faith Publishing has a new book, Tending the Garden of Our Hearts, Daily Lenten Meditations for Families by Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger.  (I'll be giving this away, please read on!)

Parents/Grandparents, if you've read and enjoyed Great Lent: Journey to Pascha by one of the foremost Orthodox Christian theologians of the twentieth century, Fr. Alexander Schmemann, you know how helpful it is to have some insights and explanations of our services and meditations during this time of fasting, prayer, and contemplation.

It's wonderful to finally have a book that offers Lenten meditations for the whole family! This lovely volume offers devotionals for families based on the scriptures for each day of Great Lent, including explanations of various lenten services and questions to discuss and ponder. You'll also find an appendix at the end with hands-on activities to bring the lessons of the season to life for your family.

Need some other good books for Lent?

Adults and Teens:
Orthodox Worship: A Living Continuity with the Synagogue, the Temple, and the Early Church.
This is my new favorite!
Ancient Faith has produced a fresh update and redesign of a book cherished by a generation of seekers. Written in an accessible manner for the average lay person, Orthodox Worship offers insights into the Orthodox liturgy. Early Christians preserved a continuity of worship from the Old Covenant to the New, employing elements from the Jewish Temple liturgy, the synagogue liturgy, and the rituals of the Jewish home. The book shows how divinely revealed Old Testament worship is not only continued but also fulfilled in the Orthodox liturgy. A line-by-line explanation of the liturgy is included. A must read - you will come to love and appreciate the Liturgy more than ever.

Children:
The Tale of Three Trees:  A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt.
Once upon a mountaintop, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. Each of their dreams come true in an unexpected way in this lovely retelling of an old folk tale that points to Christ.

St. Christoper, The Holy Giant by Tomie dePaola.

This is dePaola's interpretation of the legend of St. Christopher, who originally had been a giant named Reprobus out to serve the world's most powerful king - - a ruler he finds when he carries the young Christ across a river. 

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger (I love this edition - Zwerger's illustrations with Wilde's telling are so poignant.) 

A once selfish giant welcomes the children to his previously forbidden garden and is eventually rewarded by an unusual tiny child. I cry every time I read this.

Those are some of our family's tried and true favorites.  I'd love to hear about yours!  

I'll send Tending the Garden of Our Hearts to the first reader who leaves a comment (please include your email so I can contact you for your mailing address)!

Go here to see my past Lenten/Easter blog posts and book recommendations. Have a blessed journey!

Lots of Folks Eat "Rice and Rocks"!

Today I'd like to tell you about the fun and imaginative book Rice and Rocks by Sandra L. Richards, beautifully illustrated by Megan Kayleigh Sullivan.  I tested my review copy out on my two little grandsons during their recent visit, and they thought it rocked!

Giovanni is excited that his friends are coming over for Sunday dinner, but his grandmother is serving rice and beans! Giovanni is okay with the rice, but doesn't especially like the "rocks", and he is embarrassed and worried that his friends will think their traditional Jamaican dish is weird.

Then his favorite Auntie comes to the rescue! She and Giovanni’s pet parrot, Jasper, take Giovanni on a magical flight across the globe, to the places where each of his Sunday dinner visitors' families are from. 

Giovanni is in for a surprise: in the different places they visit - Puerto Rico, New Orleans, and Japan - he finds lots of people eating "rice and rocks" too.  He and his friends have a lot more in common than he realized!

As you can see, Megan Kayleigh Sullivan's brightly colored and engaging pictures perfectly illustrate this story that celebrates the traditions of family heritage.

It's fun to help our children embrace the family histories and cultural traditions of the music and foods that are part of our ancestry.  And it's good to learn about the histories and family traditions of others - appreciating and honoring our differences as well as our similarities. 

I'm all about that - even more so after watching episode after episode of PBS's binge-worthy Finding Your Roots on Netflix!

Series host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. says:
As a parent, as well as an historian, I encourage you to introduce your children to their family history. A great way to start is by showing them photo albums and scrapbooks from the past. That's how my father got my attention. Look for family documents such as obituaries, birth certificates, diplomas - - anything that might show your ancestors' names and details of their lives. Talk to older family members. Track down distant relatives. And, write everything down! 
(source pbs.org: "Forming a Love of Family History" by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.)

Bravo to Sandra L. Richards for writing down a magical story full of humor and fun that celebrates her traditions and will inspire children to appreciate their roots - and eat their rice and beans!
Rice and Rocks
Age Range: 5 - 8 years/Preschool - Grade 2 
Hardcover: 32 pages 
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing (August 23, 2016)

Our country is such a melting pot, full of many wonderful cultural traditions stories, music, and food - like those celebrated in this book. Go here for a past post I did of books that honor America's history and diverse heritage. And here for some Scandinavian stories, that are from my ancestry!

Somebunny Turned One!

Since it's publication in 1940, Pat the Bunny has been one of the most popular books for a toddler's library!  Dorothy Kunhardt wrote and illustrated the book for her 3-year-old daughter, Edith. 

Children love the interactive features of this cute little book (the original "touch and feel" book), and my granddaughter is no exception!

She loves to feel the softness of the bunny's fur, play peekaboo with Paul, touch Daddy's scratchy face, put her finger through Mommy's ring...

Happy 1st Birthday to the sweetest girl!

My daughter was beyond excited to find some cute little bunny paper products to complete the "Pat the Bunny" theme of Little L's first birthday this month.  

Book themed parties are so much fun, don't you think?  Click on any of the titles below to read my past blog posts, for more ideas.
Seriously Cute Storybook Party Ideas
Books About Tea For Two Year Olds
Nursery Rhyme Tea Baby Shower
Parties With A Book Theme