The Orthodox Children’s Press has a lovely picture book about the light of Pascha. The Light by Presvytera Angela Alatzakis walks with a child through the black night of Holy Saturday, into the darkened church, and slowly through the glorious services of Pascha. The focus of the book is on the light that each parishioner receives (and then takes with them to share with the world) to remind them of the Light of Christ.  The book is (appropriately) very darkly illustrated at the beginning, as both the world and the church are dark at the beginning of the Paschal services. The gent ..read more

Professor Edith Humphrey has once again woven a beautiful tale for children, incorporating her own grandchildren as the main characters, and allowing them to time-travel and meet their very own saints! Fans of her Beyond the White Fence (Ancient Faith, 2021) will be overjoyed to learn that she has written a sequel, Down the Valley, which has been published by Cascade Books (an imprint of Wipf and Stock). It’s been two years since some of the cousins found themselves beyond Gramgon’s (what they call their grandmother) white fence, and wondrously transported back in time to meet t ..read more

Newrome Press’ picture book, You are an Orthodox Christian, helps its readers to better understand who they are, and gives them the chance to learn why/how to better value their faith. Theofanis Sawabe begins the book with, “You are an Orthodox Christian. Do you know what that means?” He begins to answer his own question by taking a look at Orthodoxy’s family tree, which stretches all the way back to Christ and His apostles.  Page by page, Sawabe shows how Orthodox Christians through the years have carried the Faith so that we, today, can be part of it. He tells of their kindness to ..read more

Ancient Faith Kids presents a child-friendly version of the late 19th century Russian work The Way of a Pilgrim. In the new picture book The Little Way of a Pilgrim, Jennifer Anna Rich invites her readers to walk alongside a likable protagonist, who suddenly decides one day to go on a wandering quest to try to find the meaning of something that he heard in church, “Pray without ceasing.” He can’t imagine praying and not ever stopping, so he goes walking to try to learn more about this idea from others. On his journey, this friendly wanderer meets a great variety of people, and h ..read more

It’s the year 1919. Constantinople has been under Turkish rule for more than 400 years, and the awe-inspiring Church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) is being used as a mosque. Beneath the Magnificent Dome, by Anna Iakovou, is told from the perspective of Nicholas, a young boy living and working in a pharmacy in Constantinople, who is accidentally in Hagia Sophia for the first liturgy celebrated there in 466 years! This illustrated short story offers its readers a glimpse into life in Constantinople in the early 1900’s. The story is based on the real-life actions of Fr. Eleftherios Nouf ..read more

Newrome Press’ first ever Young Adult novel, Dyed in Murex: the Mystery of the Porphyry Codex by Evgenia Hatzithanasi-Reppa, is a beautiful contribution to the world of Orthodox Christian historical fiction. Part history book, part vocabulary lesson, part mystery, part socio-economic study, sharing tidbits of wisdom along the way; this book blends all of the above into a riveting story that leaves the reader struggling to put it down. First published in Greek in 2022, this book is carefully translated by Sister Rafailia Kaparelis. It provides (occasional) helpful footnotes as needed ..read more

Godparents are an important part of each Orthodox Christian’s life. Children who were baptized and chrismated as infants, however, may not remember the beautiful way in which they attained Godparents and became a Godchild. Special People: Godparents in the Orthodox Christian Faith, written by Ellen Karis, and illustrated by Kristina Tartara, offers an easy-to-follow overview of these beautiful sacraments and of Godfamily life.  Beginning with the baptism of Christ, Ellen Karis talks her readers through the baptismal process, including the sacrament of Chrismation. She explains t ..read more

Newrome Press’ book Stories from the Gerontikon is part graphic novel, part illustrated storybook, and tells many stories from the Gerontikon. (“A book that tells about the community of saintly men, and their exploits towards spiritual progress.”~ St. Photios the Great, quoted in the prologue of the book.) This book is full of stories of holy desert elders, their love for God, their determination, their failures, and their learnings. Christos Gousidis has illustrated each story with one or more pictures that help to bring it to life. Many stories have a one-sentence summary or nugget ..read more

Experienced priest, parent, and grandparent Fr. George Shalhoub has drawn on his lifetime of experience in his recently released book The Ten Commandments: A Guide for Today’s Orthodox Christian Families. Through his many years of experience as a father, both to his parish and to his own children, Fr. George acquired insights that he has included in his new book. A useful resource to Orthodox Christians of all ages, The Ten Commandments invites its readers on “a special journey of God’s love,” intended to help them “discover how to navigate lif ..read more

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be aboard the ark with Noah and his family? Newrome Press’ English printing of Noah, the Ark, and Me by Anna Iakovou, published in 2022, helps its readers to imagine that they are there! Two young narrators, a boy and a girl, tell the story, just as they dreamed it: they help to build the ark, they experience life onboard with all of those animals, and they disembark when the waters dry up. The narrators don’t just tell the story: they also appear in the charming illustrations, making it feel as if they are truly part of the story. Their pre ..read more