Zero, One, and Two (KO Kids Books)

Having a young child in your house changes the types of books you read. Instead of some classical work of literature or theological treatise, you now find yourself reading books that have one word per page, and if you don't hide the book every so often, you'll find yourself reading that same book ad nauseum. I long for the day when my son can read Seuss or have Seuss read to him. Books that are nicely illustrated and have a brilliant message are hard to come by. Recently, I have recently had the pleasure of reading three kids books that fit the category of beautiful illustrations and powerful message. They are entitled Zero, One, and Two and all of them are written and illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi.

One was the first book written in this series. A blue blob was the protagonist and was described as a quiet color. He liked himself, until Red (the antagonist) came around. Red was a bully who picked on Blue and made him feel like less than himself. The other colors in the story (Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple) don't like how Red treats Blue, but also don't have the courage to stand up to Red. Eventually, the Number One comes along and stands up to Red and encourages Blue. Blue decides he wants to count as well, and turns into a number as well. So do the rest of the numbers, except for Red. Blue decides to be the bigger color/number and invites Red to count as well. Red, therefore, becomes a number as well and the colors/numbers all become friends. This was a very well written book that teaches children about numbers, colors, bullying, being proud of who you are, and standing up for yourself and others.

Zero was the second book written in this series, and my favorite of the three. The protagonist of this book is the number Zero. Zero, however, does not like herself. Whenever, she looks at herself, she only sees a big hole in her middle. Like the rest of the numbers, she wants to count! In a sad development, she tries to change her shape. She stretches herself to try and look like the number One. She twists and turns herself to try and look like the number Eight. Eventually, she realizes a way that she can count as well. If you put Zero after a One, it turns into Ten. If you put another Zero after it, you get One Hundred. Thus, Zero is in fact one of the most important numbers there is, and has value like the rest of the numbers. The book like One is gorgeously illustrated and teaches powerful life lessons. For starters, you must learn to find value in yourself and others. I also read somewhere that it teaches lessons about body shapes, and I can see that if I think about it, but I guess as a man, it wasn't the first lesson that popped in my head.

Two is the third and most recent book in Kathryn Otoshi's series. This book tells the story of two friends, One and Two. Three comes along one day, though, and supplants Two. Three convinces One to be friends with only him and abandon Two, which he unfortunately does. This not only devastates Two, but also leads to a battle of Odds vs Evens. Two becomes stressed out, and begins to split. Zero, thankfully, talks some sense into Two and helps Two settle the "war" between Odds and Evens. Three apologizes, and the numbers decide to branch out of their Odd and Even prejudice and befriend numbers from the other group. One and Two also become best friends again. This book felt a little more forced than the previous two. It did a good job teaching children about odds and evens and greater than and less than, but the social issues were a bit of a reach. Your children will definitely learn about friendship and can learn about forgiveness (if taught right). You can also teach them about the importance of finding true friends, and not having to "beg" someone to be your friend when they desert you for someone else.

These books were provided to me for free by the author, Kathryn Otoshi, in exchange for honest reviews. If you found these reviews helpful, click here, here, and or here, and hit Yes!

The Ancient Faith Prayer Book and The Epistle to the Hebrews (Ancient Faith Publishing)

The Ancient Faith Prayer Book is compiled and edited by Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou, author of several other Ancient Faith titles including Meditations for Advent, Meditations for Great Lent, Meditations for Holy Week, and my favorite Thirty Steps to Heaven. The book begins with instructions from St. Theophan the Recluse on how to use this prayer book. At the end of the book is a calendar of Feasts and Fasts, as well as dates for Pascha for the next decade. In between these useful "bookends" is the spiritual meat of the text - the Prayers.

The prayers are a blend of ancient prayers and contemporary editions. You will recognize the Trisagion Prayers, Morning Prayers, Evening Prayers, Prayers of Thanksgiving, Prayers Before and After Communion, and the Odes. There are also prayers Before and After Work and Before Using the Internet. There are a lot of prayers related to conception, pregnancy, labor, and miscarriages, which is understandable as married couples want (rightfully so) children. The most interesting section to me was St. Chrysostom's Prayers for Every Hour of the Day. I'm not sure I will be able to, but praying these prayers is a goal I would like to set for myself. This is a very useful prayer book for Orthodox, especially, but for others as well. I personally plan to use this prayer book going forward and recommend you pick up a copy and do likewise. Five stars.

The Epistle to the Hebrews is the latest and perhaps last volume of The Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series. The format stays true to previous volumes in that it includes both Biblical text and commentary from Fr. Lawrence Farley. I have been awaiting this volume for a while, because this epistle was always a bit confusing to me for two reasons. Number One, people often misattribute its authorship to St. Paul, and it bugged me that we didn't know who wrote it. Secondly, it was written to a Jewish audience of that time, and since I am not Jewish some of the finer details of this epistle puzzled me.

Fr. Farley however masterfully works his way through this epistle, which explains to us the importance of Jesus. We (and the Hebrew people back then) learn that Jesus is superior to the angels; greater than Moses; like Melchizedek; that He is High Priest of all of Heaven and Earth; and that we must continue to follow Him, even in times of persecution. My favorite part in these books is always the excurses (detailed side notes). Here, Fr. Farley talks about subjects such as the sacrifice of Christ and the Eucharist. Abolition of the Old Covenant, and the Wrath of God. This volume did not disappoint. I feel more knowledgeable having read it, and am glad I received it to complete my collection of this series. I hope that Fr. Farley will consider a new series for the Old Testament, but understand if he will not. A great book and a perfect commentary for anyone, not just the scholarly. Five stars.

If you are looking to deepen your prayer life and your knowledge of Scriptures, you'll want to pick up these two books, as well as some more volumes of The Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series. You won't be disappointed! It is also about that time to order your calendars for 2015, so check out their Icon Calendar, which features a dozen stunning icons of the Theotokos. These books were provided to me for free by Ancient Faith Publishing.

O Day of Resurrection! (Jade Music)

Big Sur, California is known for its natural beauty, so much so that it has been the inspiration for artists and authors alike. It has also become a sort of haven for hippies and beatniks, trying to escape the concrete jungle. However, in 1958, the Camaldolese established the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California. This is a perfect example of being in the world, but not of the world.  What is a hermitage? A hermitage is "a community of hermits, each living in an individual cell enclosed by a garden, but praying together." This prayer includes not only the Mass, but the Liturgy of the Hours. The New Camaldoli Hermitage has released a CD, entitled O Day of Resurrection!, which is a recording of the monks’ Sunday chants of the Liturgy of the Hours.

The CD has 27 tracks and is divided into four sections - Vigils, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline. If some of these sections sound unfamiliar to you, they are the Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer, respectively. These are the major hours of the day. The minor hours Terce (Three), Sext (Six), and None (Nine) are not on this CD. If you are unfamiliar with how the Liturgy of the Hours is prayed, you will notice listening to this CD that it is a lot of Psalms, and a lot of Canticles.

The style of singing can best be classified as plainchant, but you will notice some Byzantine influence, especially in the Trisagion, which happens to be one of my favorite prayers. Other tracks/prayers you should recognize include the Benedictus, Magnificat, Our Father, and Salve Regina. What is missing is the appropriate readings for each office. This is because those change Sunday to Sunday (and day to day, but this a CD for Sunday). So, while you could just listen to this album and sing/pray along with the monks, you would be better served getting a little Liturgy of the Hours book or going to a website, pausing the CD at the appropriate time, and reading the proper readings at the proper time.

This CD spoke volumes to me. The music was bone-chillingly beautiful. I have heard or said these prayers hundreds of times, and to my discredit, sometimes glossing over them. However, hearing them chanted, they spoke to me on a deeper level. I won't say I had a favorite track as the whole album is a beautiful prayer. I will say pay close attention to the closing Troparia (Tracks 6 and 13), as they will provide you with excellent material to meditate on until you arrive at the next hour. I leave you with a behind the scenes video of the monks.



This CD was provided to me for free by Carmel Communications in exchange for an honest review. If you are looking for more information on the New Camaldoli Hermitage or perhaps have an interest in a vocation there, please click here.