Scientists empirically proved that reading books to children at night develops their ability to learn. And if a child reads books himself, it also develops his interest in the world around him. This is probably why many parents want their children to be interested in books and read a lot.
Forcing a child to read is useless - only harm. Therefore, we have collected in this collection really interesting books that captivate the child with an exciting story. In addition, they are useful for the soul of the child, as well. show him the benefits of virtues on the examples of characters.
The book by Ivan Shmelev, written in 1923, is an unsurpassed masterpiece of children's literature, telling in magnificent Russian about life in our country at the end of the 19th century. The genre of the work is autobiographical prose. The joyful world of traditions, church holidays, pilgrimages to holy places is shown through the eyes little boy- a native of the Moscow merchant environment.
We see ordinary people who surrounded the author both in the process of daily work and in the most sublime moments of life. Shmelev shows them with different sides. But the reader understands a very important thing - no matter what situation a person is in, there is always the possibility of repentance and change for him. The book is written in such a captivating and talented way that the reader, without noticing it, becomes, as it were, a witness and participant in long-gone events. The work is great for reading with the whole family, as it will not leave indifferent adults or children.
Hans Christian Andersen. The Snow Queen
The tale of the great Danish writer, which was read by many generations in different countries will not leave indifferent any child. And if we take into account that the work has a deep Christian basis, then it can be recommended as a mandatory reading for children.
The feat of Gerda, who went in search of the kidnapped Kai, remains an example of selfless love for all generations. BUT The Snow Queen that makes the heart freeze, forget the warmth human feelings- an example of the evil that inevitably occurs in this world. He is also served by unkind trolls, sowing fragments of a broken crooked mirror everywhere. They, getting into the eye of a person, disfigure his vision, presenting the environment in a distorted, ugly light.
This image is very reminiscent of the Christian of those servants of darkness who lie in wait for each of us every hour on life path. Thus, the work teaches young readers from childhood to be ready, in spite of any hardships, to give goodness that melts even the most hardened souls.
The work of Clive Lewis, created at the beginning of the 20th century, over the past century has won the hearts of more than one hundred million people in different countries. Seven books in the series, written in the style of fantasy, open the reader to an extraordinary country - Narnia.
A few ordinary guys from England, having got into it, find that here the animals understand human language and make friends with people. Although life in the country is full of magic, but, just like ours, good and evil fight here, there is love, deceit and betrayal.
Each journey of children to Narnia becomes a test for them, in which the most high feelings: friendship, compassion, self-sacrifice. So, they are gradually forged human souls and prepare for the transition to another - a perfect world. The guys get into it at the end of the epic, leaving the Earth.
In conclusion, Clive Lewis tells about the great love of the Creator of the world, who sacrifices his life for people and rises again. By this he gives an opportunity to both earthly children and the best residents Narnia forever stay to live next to him. In the course of the narrative, the author of the "Chronicles" allegorically reveals to readers many Christian truths filling young hearts with the ideals of faith.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The little Prince
The famous novel by the famous French writer-pilot who died during the Second World War. The work is written in the form of a fairy tale-parable. His the protagonist— A little prince from a distant planet, who ended up on Earth. As if met by the author of the work in the Sahara Desert, the little man tells him about his adventures.
The reader learns about the homeland of the prince - a small asteroid. About him daily labors cleaning up the planet and the beautiful rose he loves. Listening to the story of the protagonist's journey to different planets, you can see a whole string of images that reflect human passions. BUT a pure soul little prince, as an indicator, shows their inconsistency with eternal spiritual values.
The most important thing that the book teaches is the art of loving and seeing the depth of real feelings behind external qualities. And also be responsible for your actions and for the people who are nearby.
A collection of autobiographical stories about the life of a little boy from a poor but deeply religious family. The author is one of the leaders of the Orthodox youth movement in pre-war Estonia, who died in 1941 in the depths of Stalin's Gulag.
The work is simply filled with amazingly beautiful images and expressions of the Russian language of the early 20th century. It tells about Orthodox fasts and holidays in the lives of ordinary people of that time. All these events are reflected in the sympathetic soul of the boy, on behalf of whom the story is being told.
In their amazing stories Nikiforov-Volgin was able to perceive and tremblingly convey to his descendants that pure beautiful light that filled the souls of our believing ancestors about a hundred years ago.
Priest Maxim Kozlov. Children's Catechism
The book is the answers of the priest to the questions of real Moscow schoolchildren, asked in writing. The guys, at the request of the compilers of the publication, asked them about everything that interested them on the topic Orthodox faith. As a result, a work arose, built on the principle of questions and answers, which is usually called the word "catechism". And since the questions were asked by children, the result was a "Children's Catechism".
The publication is valuable in that the questions contained in it were formed by modern children and touched on many relevant aspects of today's life. At the same time, the book provides answers to the "eternal" questions of mankind concerning the origin of the world, the essence of God, the fate of people after death. The work will be interesting for students high school, and especially for teenagers who begin to think deeply about the philosophical side of the world order.
Storybook Belarusian writer Boris Ganago, as well as a number of his other books, is intended mainly for children of senior preschool and younger school age. Seemingly ingenuous stories from life, included in it, carry a special Inner Light and warm.
On the example of their peers, and sometimes adults, young readers learn to see and appreciate the beauty of the world around them. Stories bring up sympathy, kindness, generosity, fidelity to the word, the ability to sacrifice something very dear to another person in children. Through all the works passes the idea of the need to trust in God and seek his support in all life situations.
World of Children's Literature
It is impossible to cover all significant children's books in one collection. Surely you have something to add. Help readers - share your favorite books in the comments. Registration is optional.
We all know that choosing a book should be deliberate. Many remember the admonition of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov that before starting to read, it is necessary to sort out “prudently and carefully who the writer is and what he writes” so as not to “scribble the tablets of the soul with various concepts and impressions.” Therefore, probably, we go to the places that we consider to be “tested”, and easily take any publication we like. We try to buy “Orthodox literature” for the child, which certainly won’t teach him bad things, but is it really that simple? Are all books classified as "Orthodox literature" equally useful? And what should a parent know when standing near a shelf with children's books in an Orthodox store? Let's try to figure it out, and for help we will turn to the employees of church shops and Orthodox libraries, Dr. philological sciences, professor of the department of Russian literature and journalism of the XX-XXI centuries, Moscow State Pedagogical University Irina Georgievna Mineralova and cleric of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God the Life-Giving Spring in Tsaritsyn Priest Mikhail Potokin.
External
“If a child chooses for himself,” says Xenia, a bookstore salesman in one of the major Moscow churches, “then he rushes at beautiful illustrated books, and it doesn’t matter to him who wrote, Charles Perrault or monk Lazarus.” Not only children, but also adults first of all pay attention to appearance books. If the book is bright, if it is pleasant to hold it in hands, then the choice will be in its favor, sellers notice. How the book looks is an important factor. small child, for example, a large amount of text is tiring, and without illustrations it is generally difficult for him to imagine what is at stake. “If they ask me,” Ksenia continues, “I recommend books with large print and beautiful pictures. For the child to memorize the pictures. After all, often he himself still does not know how to read, and perceives it visually. Even the Gospels for children are different - here we have one designed in an icon-painting style, it is convenient and beautiful, the child gets used to it. And there are even various Orthodox publications, but the pictures are somehow terrible, looking at them is melancholy and sadness. Another external sign that sellers are advised to pay attention to is a note that the book was published with the blessing His Holiness Patriarch or ruling bishop. Although this does not always give an absolute guarantee that the book is suitable for your child. Firstly, for each reader there is a writer, and secondly, even through many levels of “censorship”, not the best literary works.
"Censorship"
Under the word "censorship" in this case, of course, does not imply hard checking of each word. The blessing of the Patriarch, and sometimes even just permission for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, only means that this book does not contain theomachistic ideas and thoughts that contradict Christian morality. Then the decision on the publication of a particular book is made by the editors and directors of publishing houses. Already published books, before being on the shelves of stores, fall into the hands of employees responsible for purchasing, who, with an experienced eye, evaluate how useful and necessary the book is for the buyer. And even in the church shop itself, the book may be subject to another assessment - by the seller. “I have to be responsible for the goods that I sell,” Ksenia explains, “so in the morning, when there are few people, I look where I have some books, new arrivals, read or scroll through unfamiliar ones. Sometimes you even have to go up to the priest, clarify if there are any doubts, and sometimes we remove some books.” Often, retellings or transcriptions of the Bible story, or some kind of moralizing texts are prepared by worldly people and sometimes, out of ignorance, they make annoying mistakes. True, in children's literature, sellers say, this is rare. There are other misunderstandings in this area. The senior librarian of one of the Moscow Orthodox libraries, Irina Vladimirovna Sergeeva, recalls how one of the publishing houses offered the Explanatory Dictionary of V.I. modern edition: look how beautiful, in one volume. And Dahl has four of them. I began to flip through, and half of the articles are not there, and the rest are all cut down. Apparently, it is considered that much is outdated, not relevant. But this is what kids need! It's the roots of our culture."
time tested
“Let's not reinvent the wheel,” suggests Priest Mikhail Potokin, cleric of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Life-Giving Spring in Tsaritsyn, father of three children. – Many generations of Christians were brought up before us. Let’s go back at least to the 19th century and see what children were taught then.” Today, many books have been republished. late XIX- the first half of the twentieth century. The "Law of God" by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky and the "ABC" created by him together with his wife Elena Alekseevna Slobodskaya were republished. “The book also includes the Law of God for children,” says Irina Vladimirovna Sergeeva, “and a primer. A primer like the one that I studied many years ago. For some reason, from such books the soul is heated - incomparably with many that are being invented now. As for the children's Bible, according to many experts, the best is the revision of Archpriest Alexander Sokolov. “Either a reprint edition of the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, or published in new spelling with illustrations by Doré, - recommends Irina Georgievna Mineralova, Doctor of Philology. - This is a book that a child who has just learned to read will read again and again, because it is built in the form of a conversation with a child. wonderful book, and in the sense of everyday and pedagogical too. A storehouse of worldly wisdom - the lives of the saints. But even in them, not everything will be clear to the child. “For example, the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker can be studied from the very early childhood, - Father Mikhail explains, - because it is all fabulous. But as for the lives of the martyrs, it is difficult to understand them. Here is Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia - very difficult for little man, for whom parents make up his whole life, they are both protection and the main support. We need to be very selective in this matter. Perhaps it is better to take facts from the lives of saints related to historical events- Prince Vladimir, Constantine the Great, Alexander Nevsky. historical literature for teenagers is very popular with young readers, says the senior librarian Irina Vladimirovna and shows the book of the author of the beginning of the last century, Pavel Amplievich Rossiev, almost forgotten today, “Prelate Alexy. Historical tale". “There is a tradition in Russian children's literature, there are brilliant authors,” recalls philologist Irina Georgievna Mineralova, “For example, Ishimova or Charskaya.” Today these authors, thrown out of pedagogical environment post-revolutionary era, again returned to the reader. Since the beginning of the 90s, 54 volumes have been published complete collection compositions of Lydia Alekseevna Charskaya.
Things that cannot be simplified
For more than 15 years in a row, the "Children's Bible", published by the Russian Bible Society, has been very popular. It is brightly designed, and the texts in it are simple and clear. “The kids love it,” the library says. However, even its creators claim that it is full of flaws: “many wise teachings are omitted and amazing events, - noted in the preface to the publication of the early 90s. – And much of what is included in the “Children's Bible” in the form of a paraphrase could be set out much brighter. The Bible is the Word of God, and all attempts to paraphrase it, even by the best interpreters and masters of the word, give only a pale reflection of this Book of books. Father Mikhail Potokin also agrees with the publishers' opinion: “How can music or painting be adapted to a certain age, for example? And if the Old Testament can still be given to children in retelling, then New Testament hard to imagine in abbreviation. Spiritual reading is a serious work, and it is not always worth replacing it with something simplified, the priest believes. “Up to a certain point in a person’s life, the Gospel is difficult to understand,” Father Mikhail explains. - The concept of sacrifice, love comes with experience. But a child can read the Gospel, as it seems to me, not in retelling, but as it is. Relying perhaps more on memory than on reason. Something will remain in the memory, in the subconscious - and it is worth reading, rather counting on it. There are things that cannot be simplified. There is no need to be afraid of difficulties and therefore try to slip already chewed information on the child, the priest advises: “After all, children once learned to read from the Psalter. And now not every adult can do it.”
Where did "Orthodox literature" come from?
To read what is unchanged and relevant for centuries, of course, is good. But every time poses more and more new questions, to look for answers to which in previous experience humanity is sometimes beyond the power of a child. The young reader wants to read not only about the past, but also about the present, not only about predecessors, but also about contemporaries. And again, looking for something modern for the child, we hope for the label “Orthodox”. If earlier there was just literature, and there was spiritual reading, today we can observe a new phenomenon in cultural life country - "Orthodox literature". On the one hand, it is clear that pre-revolutionary Russia the writers did not call themselves as such, but were brought up and tried to live as Christians. “Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Chekhov – are they Orthodox writers? Father Michael asks. – There is no such thing as writing only about Orthodoxy. An Orthodox writer can talk about anything, just as an Orthodox artist does not have to only draw churches. There is simply a certain worldview that is connected with our personal path of piety, our choice, the philosophy of our life. Professor Irina Georgievna Mineralova is trying to explain the emergence of a new direction: “It is simply impossible to imagine that so much attention would have been paid to something like this 50-30 years ago. However, this does not mean that that era was “bad”, that the morality of the younger generation was not taken care of. Care very much! And in today's life, two extremes converge: the directives of the past, asserting that the task is to educate harmoniously developed personality, and the statements of current officials that it is necessary to educate a competent consumer. Who to call for help? As of old, so today, they are waiting for “God to help.” But, unfortunately, sometimes the old Russian proverb is forgotten: trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself, and church rhetoric, which, of course, is not at all a guarantee of high artistry, remains only beautiful words. “In advertising the external components of faith, I see a desire not to BE, but to APPEAR, a kind of hypocrisy that is dangerous for a person who goes to church,” continues Irina Georgievna. - Faith is a deeply personal matter, it contains both mystery and sacraments, therefore, when they talk about it in vain and sometimes even on high notes, it offends me personally. In the writer's self-declaration as "Orthodox" there is both immodesty and, to put it mildly, arrogance and expectation of praise. Is this what a child needs from a book and its author? No, not likely. Irina Georgievna recalls many, many writers Soviet era who "worked for the citizens to grow up loving motherland, respected the elders and the memory of those who had gone to another world, cherished the inheritance left and bequeathed to us by grandfathers and parents ... In these lessons, although not named, she continues, there was - I will say, using Solovyov’s terminology - “reverence for the highest” , "compassion for equals" and "pity for the inferior". In this sense, called atheistic, the era has preserved and saved a lot of church rarities and values. Father Mikhail Potokin also offers books for children to read Soviet writers: “At least you can read Dunno many times at a certain age. And by the way, I know one wonderful priest who freely quotes this book and gives life examples from it.
Church Literature
There is nothing surprising in the fact that often authors who position themselves as "Orthodox" go to extremes, often coloring their works, heroes and events with just two colors - black and white, bad and good, trying to write "the right way", trying to arrange clear and precise boundaries, where “in the Orthodox way”, and where not. “Churching is always accompanied by polemical pathos in relation to what is not a church,” explains Irina Georgievna Mineralova. There are many examples of such behavior among readers. paradoxical examples. When, buying a book of Pushkin's fairy tales as a gift for her nephew, a loving aunt carefully cuts out the fairy tale "About the priest and his worker Balda" from the new edition, still smelling of printing ink. “No, no, you can’t cut it! - not hiding his surprise, Father Mikhail tries to explain. - It's really an Orthodox fairy tale. Because even in the Gospel Christ is betrayed by the Pharisees and high priests. On the contrary, a person who reads this tale, when, God forbid, of course, encounters indifference, love of money in the church, this will not repel him. He will know that this happens, that this is a mistake, a sin, a human weakness, but not the order of the Church. The child needs to be given not only good and attractive examples, but also to talk about the existence of evil, otherwise he will not be ready for it. Will the child be ready for real life by reading obsessive-educational texts? Will plotless, but "about Orthodoxy" stories help him? Salesman church shop Roman perplexedly flips through one of the books for sale: “Sometimes you take it to read, but the stories are somehow meaningless, stupid. The plot is weak, why, why, what conclusion to draw? But there is an Orthodox component, they say, the heroes of this story live Orthodox life“They pray from morning to night, joyful and contented, they go to services together.” “People who have just entered the church often take up the cause,” explains Irina Georgievna Mineralova, “but they have no idea about the writing business, they are not well-read, pedagogically naive.” And they write with the best of intentions, and their intentions are good, but ...
Fashion
But is it only the writer’s fault that “Orthodox literature” cannot go beyond the framework of moralizing fiction, not always good quality? Readers also have a hand in this, creating a fashion for the works of certain authors, a certain direction. The reader gets what he wants - simple, practically colloquial and the rules of Christian morality explained on the fingers. Librarian Irina Vladimirovna shows the story of Archpriest Alexander Torik “Dimon”: “It was not always pleasant for me to read,” she says. - But modern language such, such a time, but what is written in the book is understandable to a teenager. Young people, according to many parents, after reading the book themselves ask for confession. In general, the goal has been achieved. And here it is worth remembering that good literature does not at all set itself the goal of taking the reader by the hand and leading somewhere or hammering some truth into his head. good literature offers to reflect, teaches to distinguish between truth and fake, but at the same time leaves a person complete freedom choice. Books should not be churched, for churching one must go to churches and Sunday schools. When asked how to choose the right Orthodox reading for a child, librarian Irina Vladimirovna answers: “You need to go to Sunday school, to learn something yourself, and then it will be easy to choose a book for your child.
Many modern children are addicted to a variety of gadgets. Unfortunately, they are of little interest printed books even when they are good for the soul. If you want your child to be able to distinguish between good and evil, make informed decisions, be merciful, moral, noble, teach him with early years to reading spiritual literature.
Our catalog contains literature from various Orthodox publishers. Children's Christian publications adapted for easy reading large print and adorned with colorful pictures. We always have an option that your little reader will like.
Fill the lives of children with kindness and beautiful books just as you accustom them to wholesome and wholesome food. It is always better to read a new book together so that the text does not seem boring to the child due to incomprehensible words. By reading together, you will spend the necessary time with your baby, and help him develop. figurative thinking. Living communication with a book is a sure step towards understanding and assimilation of Christian values.
Children from the age of 4-5 are interested in God. If you are not ready to correctly tell your son or daughter about the Almighty, about the appearance of Jesus Christ, His life and mission, buy an Orthodox book.
Our shop assortment
With us you can buy a children's bible. The publication contains colorful illustrations, written in an accessible language for kids. Perhaps not all the details are covered there. But it is difficult for preschoolers and older children to convey everything at once.
In addition to this book, our online store has many other literature:
- fairy tales are surprisingly useful works that are necessary for all children; thanks to fabulous images kids learn information well;
- children's gospel - published in large print, in a language accessible to children;
- prayer books - a collection of prayers for children who already know how to read, helps to learn to meet joys and sorrows with prayer;
- literature for joint reading with parents.
Orthodox literature teaches junior schoolchildren and teenagers correctly understand life, form faith, she talks about the laws of goodness and love. In addition, the following important points are described in Orthodox books:
- what are church ceremonies;
- how to behave in confession;
- how to fast properly;
- how other children fast.
Instill in your children the love of God from an early age. Teach them not only to ask the Lord, but also to thank him for every day they live. If it is difficult for you to tell your child about faith, its importance for spiritual salvation, buy an Orthodox book. You can ask our staff for help, and they will tell you which book is better for you to buy.
All publications have the stamp of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. Choose a book for your child or as a gift, and we will deliver your order as soon as possible!
Orthodox books for children
Today the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and secular publishing houses print a variety of children's religious literature. These are children's Bibles, the lives of the saints, as well as stories about faith, peace, diligence, respect and others. universal values. In the "Labyrinth" you can buy religious books designed for children different ages Both for toddlers and teenagers. Illustrated Bible for children. Old and New Testaments different periods life, a person prefers one or another book. But any of them, even the best, is not universal. However, there is a special ancient book that contains all the wisdom spiritual development and the existence of people, - the Bible. And the important thing is that it is intended not only for deeply believing, professing Christian people. Anyone cultured person you need to know what is said in the Old and New Testaments as well as remember the names of your ancestors. The best way to get acquainted with the Bible is from childhood. But the child does not understand the complex text. Therefore, in this edition, presented in simple terms, in plain language, he is offered only initial information necessary for the formation of basic concepts. To a child who still has little luggage personal experience in relation to good and evil, correct guidelines are required. He, like an adult, is sometimes hurt by the injustice and cruelty shown by others in relation to himself or people close to him, but he still cannot understand the complexities and contradictions of the world around him. Biblical images, plots, sayings teach tolerance, help to rise above one's own everyday life and enable them to better understand themselves and others. Knowledge in various areas Science and technology form the mind, but do not develop the senses, so even the deepest, encyclopedic education in itself is not able to make a person happy. Neither sports, nor spectacles, nor numerous entertainments with which the modern world is full are able to do this. Only in combination with the development of the soul does all this become a blessing, relieving satiety and disappointment. Biblical parables allow you to create a kind of spiritual framework that a growing person will have to equip with all subsequent experiences of his life. Without this, how to make a fair decision, how to resist vice? Besides, biblical stories, themes reused in painting, music, literature, underlie world culture and art. It is hardly worth convincing anyone of the meaning of the Bible. And since the taste and habit of reading are formed in childhood, it is necessary to rely primarily on eternal values, proven over thousands of years. Leafing through the pages of the children's Bible with your son or daughter, peering into the beautiful illustrations of great artists, talking with your child about what you read, you will give him the very "spiritual compass" that will help him find more than once or twice. the right way in the most difficult labyrinths of life. The book was published with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. Compiled by: Andrey Astakhov. Colored illustrations. Children's Prayer Book The Children's Orthodox Prayer Book, published by the Novo-Tikhvin Convent, is not just a collection of prayers for various occasions. The book will help the child to see the beauty of the life of the Orthodox Church, introduce him to the world of the icon and the world of prayer. feature this edition are small articles that precede sections of the prayer book. From the pages of the book, children speak their language about the most important things in life: faith in God, Church Sacraments, right attitude to prayer. Special attention is given to the Jesus Prayer as a work to which all Christians are called from the very early age. It will help the child to maintain a living faith, to grow in piety. Colored illustrations. My sweet childhood The autobiographical story of Klavdia Vladimirovna Lukashevich is known for her works for children, written in different genres: stories, essays, short stories, memoirs. Warmth and sincerity, as well as an undoubted pedagogical vocation, made her one of the favorite writers not only of the past, but also of the present century. The story "My Sweet Childhood" will not only bring moments of entertainment to the young reader, but, according to the author, "breathe into the sympathetic soul of the child vivacity, the desire to live happily and be useful to other people." The Earthly Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Children This large colorful children's book tells children about the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her son Jesus. In the book a large number of colorful images. It is beautifully written kind language, which will be understandable to children. The Most Holy Theotokos is very revered by all Orthodox people. The stories about the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos will bring great spiritual benefit to little Christians and help them find life guidelines. Presented by Valentin Nikolaev. Gospel stories for children Gospel stories, clearly and simply retold by the writer Maya Kucherskaya, will help children better understand and remember the events referred to in the Holy Scripture. Since this is not a canonical text, each reader can add their thoughts and details to it. Then reading will turn into a conversation - and what could be more important for raising a child than smart and serious conversation about such things as faith, conscience, kindness and love... Color illustrations. Biblical Traditions This book, invented by K. Chukovsky especially for preschoolers, in accessible form talks about eternal truths, over which time has no power. Biblical traditions about the Creation of the world, about Adam and Eve, about Noah, and Deluge, about tower of babel and the greatest prophets is interesting and useful to read in the family circle. The book includes well-known biblical legends and parables. Told in a lively and accessible language, they will introduce the child to Old Testament teach kindness and tolerance. The book is useful for family reading. Colored illustrations. Why did Noah choose a dove in front of you famous legend about Noah and his ark. This biblical story was retold famous writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. His books are read all over the world by both adults and children. Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991) - laureate Nobel Prize, one of the most significant authors of our time who wrote in Yiddish. He was born in Polish city Radzymin. In his works, Singer addresses children as a last resort. true values in life as the only hope modern world tending to self-destruction. Russian monasteries The book tells in an accessible and interesting way about Russian monasteries - the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the ancient monasteries of Moscow - St. desert, the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery and the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent. The monks looked for secluded places to pray to God, but their righteous life attracted other people who settled nearby. Monasteries grew, grew rich, often turned into mighty fortresses, which at one time resisted the invaders who attacked the Russian land, were places of detention for noble prisoners, became the goal of pilgrimage for the common people, and for the great princes and kings. The history of Russia was reflected in the history of Russian monasteries. The book "Russian Monasteries" is published as part of the "History of Russia" project. Readers will learn about the founding of the largest Russian monasteries, about the holy ascetics who glorified the Russian Church, about the dramatic events in Russian history associated with monasteries. The book will be of interest to children of 9-12 years old - students of secondary school age, will help them to imagine Russian history and Orthodox culture more vividly. Colored illustrations. Orthodox saints. School guide The Russian Orthodox Church honors many saints. These are the people who lived in the different time. Many of them are separated from us by almost two millennia. Among them, for example, the associates of Christ - the apostles. In Western countries, such saints as Nicholas of Myra and Saint George are revered, and in Orthodoxy, these are Nicholas the Wonderworker and George the Victorious. Among the saints revered in Russia, there are many and exclusively Russian ones. These are the princes Boris and Gleb, epic hero Ilya Muromets, Prince Alexander Nevsky, icon painter Andrei Rublev, Xenia of Petersburg and last king Nicholas II... For what merits are they revered as saints? Who can be called a saint? This is what we talk about in our book. Colored illustrations.
Orthodox books for children
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friends
Today, the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and secular publishing houses print a variety of children's religious literature. These are children's Bibles, lives of saints, as well as stories about faith, peace, diligence, respect and other universal values.
In the "Labyrinth" you can buy religious books designed for children of different ages - both toddlers and teenagers.
In different periods of life, a person prefers one or another book. But any of them, even the best, is not universal. However, there is a special ancient book that contains all the wisdom of the spiritual development and existence of people - the Bible. And the important thing is that it is intended not only for deeply believing, professing Christian people. Any cultured person needs to know what is said in the Old and New Testaments as well as remember the names of their ancestors.
The best way to get acquainted with the Bible is from childhood. But the child does not understand the complex text. Therefore, in this edition, presented in a simple, accessible language, he is offered only the initial information necessary for the formation of basic concepts. The child, who still has a meager baggage of personal experience in relation to good and evil, needs correct guidelines. He, like an adult, is sometimes hurt by the injustice and cruelty shown by others in relation to himself or people close to him, but he still cannot understand the complexities and contradictions of the world around him. Biblical images, plots, sayings teach tolerance, help to rise above your own daily life and allow you to better understand yourself and others.
Knowledge in various fields of science and technology forms the mind, but does not develop feelings, therefore, even the deepest, encyclopedic education in itself is not able to make a person happy. Neither sports, nor spectacles, nor numerous entertainments with which the modern world is full are able to do this. Only in combination with the development of the soul does all this become a blessing, relieving satiety and disappointment. Biblical parables allow you to create a kind of spiritual framework that a growing person will have to equip with all subsequent experiences of his life. Without this, how to make a fair decision, how to resist vice?
In addition, biblical stories, themes reused in painting, music, and literature, underlie world culture and art. It is hardly worth convincing anyone of the meaning of the Bible. And since the taste and habit of reading are formed in childhood, it is necessary to rely primarily on eternal values, proven over thousands of years.
Leafing through the pages of the children's Bible with your son or daughter, peering into the beautiful illustrations of great artists, talking with your child about what you have read, you will give him that very "spiritual compass" that will help him find the right path more than once or twice in the most difficult labyrinths of life.
The book was published with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.
Compiled by: Andrey Astakhov.
Colored illustrations.
The Children's Orthodox Prayer Book, published by the Novo-Tikhvin Convent, is not just a collection of prayers for various occasions. The book will help the child to see the beauty of the life of the Orthodox Church, introduce him to the world of the icon and the world of prayer. A feature of this edition are small articles that precede the sections of the prayer book. From the pages of the book, children speak their language about the most important things in life: faith in God, the Church Sacraments, the right attitude to prayer. Particular attention is paid to the Jesus Prayer as a deed to which all Christians are called from a very early age. It will help the child to maintain a living faith, to grow in piety.
Colored illustrations.
This large colorful children's book tells children about the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her son Jesus. The book has a lot of colorful pictures. It is written in a beautiful, kind language that children will understand.
The Most Holy Mother of God is greatly revered by all Orthodox people. Stories about the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos will bring great spiritual benefit to little Christians and help them find life guidelines.
Presented by Valentin Nikolaev.
Gospel stories, clearly and simply retold by the writer Maya Kucherskaya, will help children better understand and remember the events referred to in Scripture. Since this is not a canonical text, each reader can add their thoughts and details to it. Then reading will turn into a conversation - and what could be more important for raising a child than a smart and serious conversation about such things as faith, conscience, kindness and love ...
Colored illustrations.
Before you is the famous legend of Noah and his ark. This biblical story was retold by the famous writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. His books are read all over the world by both adults and children.
Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991) - Nobel laureate, one of the most significant authors of our time who wrote in Yiddish. He was born in the Polish city of Radzymin. In his works, Singer addresses children as the last refuge of true values in life, as the only hope for the modern world, striving for self-destruction.
The book tells in an accessible and interesting way about Russian monasteries - the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the ancient monasteries of Moscow - St. Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery and the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent.
The monks looked for secluded places to pray to God, but their righteous life attracted other people who settled nearby. Monasteries grew, grew rich, often turned into mighty fortresses, which at one time resisted the invaders who attacked the Russian land, were places of detention for noble prisoners, became the goal of pilgrimage for the common people, and for the great princes and kings. The history of Russia was reflected in the history of Russian monasteries.
The book "" is published as part of the "History of Russia" project. Readers will learn about the founding of the largest Russian monasteries, about the holy ascetics who glorified the Russian Church, about the dramatic events in Russian history associated with monasteries. The book will be of interest to children of 9-12 years old - students of secondary school age, will help them to imagine Russian history and Orthodox culture more vividly.
Colored illustrations.
The Russian Orthodox Church honors many saints. These are people who lived at different times. Many of them are separated from us by almost two millennia. Among them, for example, the associates of Christ - the apostles. In Western countries, such saints as Nicholas of Myra and Saint George are revered, and in Orthodoxy, these are Nicholas the Wonderworker and George the Victorious. Among the saints revered in Russia, there are many and exclusively Russian ones. These are princes Boris and Gleb, epic hero Ilya Muromets, prince Alexander Nevsky, icon painter Andrei Rublev, Xenia of Petersburg and the last Tsar Nicholas II ... For what merits are they revered as saints? Who can be called a saint? This is what we talk about in our book.
Colored illustrations.
AT recent times there are more and more Orthodox or "near-Orthodox" fiction. Is there? It would be more accurate to say that the book market has become noticeable works of art written by Orthodox authors. The quality of these books is very different, many of them do not stand up to criticism, but there are also talentedly written stories and novels. This is how it is when we are talking about literature for adults. As far as books for children are concerned, the situation is much worse.
Children's literature is generally a weak link in the modern Russian book market. When you enter book store to buy something for a child, at first you get lost from the abundance of colorful covers, but after looking through these brightly designed books, you understand that there is nothing to please the baby. The lion's share of children's book novelties- endless reprints of classics such as Andersen, Pushkin, Charles Perrault, Marshak, Chukovsky, Astrid Lindgren. Modern authors, on the other hand, most often churn out completely poor-quality books with primitive text, dubious jokes and a weak plot. If the author nevertheless managed to write something satisfactory from an artistic point of view, then it is not a fact that his book will be useful for children: the ideological crisis, which is acutely felt in today's society, is especially noticeable in children's literature, since the efforts of the authors recent years to avoid any hint of "moralizing" and "didactics" reduced everything to endless postmodernist distortions and irony. Children, as is well known basic course developmental psychology, very late, they begin to understand the meaning and price of ironic discourse, and instead of ideals that they would like to achieve, examples that could be learned from, heroes that they would like to empathize with, they get a meaningless surrogate.
It would seem that this is where the zone of responsibility of Orthodox authors begins, who clearly know where to draw the line between good and evil, which worldview basis must be formed in the child. However, there is even less good modern Orthodox literature for children than acceptable secular literature. One of the main problems is genre monotony. Genre fairy tale is suspicious to our authors, because there " devilry". Genre short stories from a child's life is questionable due to "gross materialism". Even the monk Lazarus, the author of the miraculous adventures of the "Orthodox hedgehog", was criticized by zealots for the fact that his "animals pray to God." Modern teenagers love the fantasy genre. But it is believed that Orthodox fantasy cannot be written, because there are elves, dwarves and other “undead”, while children at this time read JK Rowling or Philip Pullman, whose books are openly anti-Christian. Meanwhile, an example of "Christian fantasy" can be called Clive Lewis with his "Chronicles of Narnia", and an example of modern "Orthodox fantasy" is Yulia Voznesenskaya and her "Cassandra or a journey with pasta." Unfortunately, there is only one example.
Another problem of Orthodox children's literature is sweetness and "pious falsehood", which can turn a child away not only from a particular book, but also from reading any Christian literature. Writers generally consider children the most difficult audience precisely because the child instantly rejects insincere intonation. It is all the more difficult to be persuasive when you are trying to talk to a child about faith. Many Orthodox writers see their readers as some kind of "perfect child" instead of writing for real boys and girls who need good books that can lead them to God, or at least make them think about good and evil.
And, finally, the most difficult task facing Orthodox children's authors is the search for images. It seems almost impossible to translate the Orthodox system of images into the language of a modern child, to find those images that would evoke a lively and sincere response from children and become important to them, despite the avalanche of visual information that surrounds them from all sides - this seems almost impossible, but otherwise everything efforts to create a new children's literature will be in vain. modern civilization stuffed with images, bright and attractive, and without the ability to work with figurative systems it is difficult to achieve the attention of a generation that perceives the world through images, not words.
The prospects for the development of children's literature were discussed at the seminar "Education by the Book: Modern Problems of Spiritual and Educational Literature on Orthodoxy", which took place on November 24 at the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Sokolniki. The seminar was attended by writers, child psychologists, philologists, editors.
Olga Golosova, editor-in-chief of the Lepta-press publishing house, named another important issue Orthodox children's literature - the lack of popular science books, simply speaking, children's encyclopedias: "Orthodox books for a child do not talk about material world- cups, spoons, money, cloning. Meanwhile, it is popular science literature that forms a child's picture of the world. In addition, Golosova believes that "by creating pseudo-pious books that teach children to hate the world and run away from it, we are educating sectarians." In her opinion, first of all, the writers themselves must learn to see the beauty of the world created by God, and then they will be able to reveal this beauty to children and teach them to love the Creator, but this will not happen until the writers stop repeating endlessly about the dangers and temptations .
As an example of a successful book for teenagers, Golosova cited Tamara Kryukova’s novel “Kostya + Nika” - “an example of describing the relationship between the sexes, when not only there is no hint of sex, but even the word love is not mentioned, although it is obvious to any reader that love between the characters there is". Tamara Kryukova herself, the author of many children's books - from rhymes for preschoolers to fantasy novels for teenagers, lamented that "good writers do not go into children's literature, because it is considered of little prestige." Touching upon the theme of fantasy and fairy tales, Tamara Kryukova noted: “Kids need a fairy tale, do not be afraid of witches and sorcerers, because this is a visualization of evil. The child cannot imagine abstract evil. Another thing is important here: how is good represented and how does it fight evil, isn’t it with fists?
Writer Dmitry Volodikhin believes that a Christian writer can write science fiction subject to two conditions: “if you don’t get into gospel history and don’t violate the commandments.” In addition, he noted that modern Orthodox literature the biographical genre is sorely lacking, and encouraged colleagues to write novels based on the lives of the saints for children and adolescents. This topic was supported by the editor of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Elena Trostnikova and psychologist Andrei Rogozyansky, but both confirmed that hagiographic works for children are a very complex genre. One of the main problems is that when trying to convey in words the feeling of holiness emanating from the righteous, the individuality of the saint escapes.
It was decided to make the seminar regular, and to transfer the topics of the next meetings to a more practical plane.
The rector of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Sokolniki, hegumen John (Yermakov), called on writers to be aware of their responsibility: “Education by a book means education by the word. And a deep responsibility lies with every person related to the printed word. It is said: “by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned” ().
Will any of the participants of the seminar in the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist become a writer who left a bright mark on the history of Russian literature, and will at least one of the books written by these authors become an event public life and not only the subject of discussion in Orthodox environment, this question remains open. As well as the question of whether Christian children's literature will be able to become a trend modern culture and force wide circle readers to reconsider their worldview.
