By Molly Sabourin, author of Close to Home

My husband Troy and I speak often about piety and compassion, but I find myself wondering on occasion if our well-intentioned (and wordy) discourses are falling on, not necessarily deaf, but certainly distracted ears. It can be difficult to tell sometimes how much of the Faith our children are actually absorbing. We long to instill in our kids a deep and enduring love for the Church that will guide and comfort them throughout their lifetimes. I am incredibly thankful for any and every resource designed to help us reach this goal of piercing our children's hearts with Christ‘s Truth and mercy.

Last year, while home schooling, I used as part of our curriculum as many Orthodox children's books as I could possibly get my hands on. How unusually still my two older kids sat throughout the final chapters of Ella's Story: The Duchess Who Became a Saint, by Maria Tobias. Tears dripped down my cheeks as I read aloud about those tumultuous days before St. Elizabeth's martyrdom. We were sucked into that incredible true story, and profoundly moved (yes, all of us) by Elizabeth's courage and selflessness.

Lucia, Saint of Light, by Katherine Bolger Hyde, has become another favorite; being of Swedish heritage, my daughter, Priscilla, is especially taken with the beautiful customs and traditions delightfully described and illustrated within its pages.

Just this past spring, my son Elijah and I had a wonderful discussion about the Mystery of the Eucharist, prompted by Jane Meyer's poetic tale of a woman growing wheat to be made into bread and then offered to the Church, eventually becoming the Body of Christ. The Woman and the Wheat is absolutely a “must have” for any Orthodox family library.

Then there's Silent as a Stone, by Jim Forest, The Blackbird's Nest, by Jenny Schroedel, and Basil's Search for Miracles, by Heather Zydek . . . oh my, I could go on and on! There are many books I treasure for their ability to make the Orthodox Faith both accessible and meaningful to my children.

Jesus Himself made use of parables to drive home hard-to-grasp (or swallow) elements of Christian discipleship, and I believe still in the power of stories, of quality literature, to awaken within us a desire for beauty, holiness and communion with God.

"Wear the old coat and buy the new book," wrote Austin Phelps. I was thinking of that quote recently while browsing through the plethora of beloved titles within our crowded bookshelf—a bookshelf so full, in fact, we've had to purchase a new one. Yes, thanks to Ikea and my husband's screwdriving skills, we now have room to expand our growing collection of Orthodox children's books, and by doing so to remain mindful as a family of "the one thing needful."