Beautiful beautiful way to tell the Story of the Resurrection! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

This is a popular title for us; it is well written with great ideas. However, with all cookbooks regarding fasting, I think it has to be updated somewhat.

I thoroughly enjoy this book!

The box is beautiful and well made. It is a gift and I’m proud to give such a pretty box

Beautiful Cards.

The cards were beautiful. I would purchase again.

Special cards for dear friends. ❤️☦️

I bought this icon as a wedding gift. I have another one for my own kitchen.

We LOVE this book! The stories are short and engaging. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. We will be adding it into our homeschool day when we are studying about these Saints. We will be ordering an extra copy or two to give as gifts. Everyone needs this book.

Beautiful story about many different saints and their interactions while wild animals. The illustrations are wonderful. A new bed time favorite for my daughter.

This book is simply beautiful. The cover alone made me want this book for my kids. It is an excellent quality hardcover with a glossy two-page spread for each of the thirteen saints. These illustrations are calming yet offer plenty for young children to look at while they listen.

Our children, aged 5, 7, and 9, were engaged by the illustrations as they absorbed each saint’s story, all of which are short enough so that the whole book could be read just before bed. When it was done, they wanted me to go back and read some of them again. The book inspires children with stories of holy and gentle saints who had extraordinary encounters with animals, and they prompted my children to ask some great questions like, “How did he get the bear to be nice to him?” and “How do I get animals to like me?”

Our family has also been working through 101 Orthodox Saints. About half the saints in A Taste of Paradise are not in 101 Orthodox Saints. For those that are in 101 Orthodox Saints, this book still offers something fresh.

I would highly recommend this book to Orthodox families. You will want to read it to your own children and then get a copy to give away as it would make a truly meaningful gift.

Stories of Saints and Animals delightful in every way. The book pairs large, captivating illustrations with bite-sized stories, making it a perfect read for both for our 2 year old's attention span, but still of great interest to our oldest (4-going-on-14). It presents theology in childlike terms, allowing the girls to naturally grasp the idea of interacting with animals and nature in a truly Christian way. We learned stories both about some of our favorite saints, and ones we had not yet met and will cherish them all as we continue to learn how to walk the way of the Lord, as these friends of God did. Our oldest daughter's favorite part to read is about St. Herman feeding and befriending the typically bad-tempered ermine. Through Christ we can all experience a taste of paradise here on Earth!

I was very excited to read this book with my three-year-old son, and it did not disappoint! It is beautifully written, and the illustrations are a nice style—not cartoonish, but a nice blend of typical children’s book illustrations and iconography-style.

One of my favorite parts is that each page is devoted to a different saint, which makes it very easy to pick just one story to read at a time. This worked well for my young children, who might not have had the attention span for the entire book at once.

My son had just learned about the lion digging St. Mary of Egypt’s grave, and he was so excited to see that story in the book. The book includes well-known examples of saints who befriended animals, such as St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Herman of Alaska. But I was amazed at how many other beautiful stories of saints and animals there are. I had never even heard of some of the saints, so I was learning too! This is definitely a book we will read again and again.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.)

This enchanting book is a delight for both adults and children. A collection of stories , Katherine Bolger Hyde brings together the beautiful lives of the saints transcending centuries and countries and their relationships with beasts great and small , from Egypt to Wales to Alaska , we are able to glean the details of the saints and how they entwined with animals . Written In short paragraphs , this book can be savoured over many sittings with small children or enjoyed as an epic adventure with older children. For myself, I enjoyed reading the stories one at a time with a cup of tea !
Anastasiya Sokolova's breathtaking and captivating illustrations bring the stories of the saints to live vividly.
a Taste of Paradise is a beautiful addition to any bookshelf for enjoyment for years and generations to come !

We found A Taste of Paradise: Stories of Saints and Animals delightful in every way. The book pairs large, captivating illustrations with bite-sized stories, making it a perfect read for our 2 year old's attention span, but still of great interest to our older daughter (4-going-on-14). It presents theology in childlike terms, allowing the girls to naturally grasp the idea of interacting with animals and nature in a truly Christian way. It includes stories both about some of our favorite saints, and ones we had not yet met and will cherish them all as we continue to learn how to walk the way of the Lord, as these friends of God did. Our 4 year old's favorite part to read is about St. Herman feeding and befriending the typically bad-temperd ermine. Through Christ we can all experience a taste of paradise here on Earth!

This book is a lovingly written and beautifully illustrated collection of Saints from different times all around the world who's hearts were, in my opinion, so close to God's Will that the animals around them reacted as if living in Paradise were already upon them. My Early Learning Center classroom of 3 and 4 year olds are obviously a tough circle time crowd but this book held their attention! We finished it whole in one sitting. Even the new co-teacher, who's not Orthodox, stopped cleaning and sat down to listen. She said "WOW" many times which echoed the children's expressions. Few of the children in our Orthodox Early Learning Center in Jacksonville, FL are Orthodox, many aren't Christian, but they ARE literally from all over the world! Just like the Saints in the book. The author also did a great job of utilizing modern Saints from locations we all watch on local TV such as San Fransisco or that we might vacation cruise such as Alaska. This combined with tying in the children's love of their own family pet dogs, cats, hamsters, and exotic birds made the Saints relatable and, while still incredible, very realistic for the children. For me that was the best part of book. Can't really think of any drawbacks but if I do I'll edit the review. Planning on sharing this book with our three year old and VPK classrooms.

For those who complain the book contains less than satisfactory content on the Romanov family, I can only say it is, after all, a biography of Charles Sydney Gibbes. (I'm not sure how one can get past the title and not realize that.) Anyhow, this is also a very erudite discussion on the differences between the Eastern Orthodox faith and the Latin/Western mindset. Obviously a well-researched labor of love on the part of the author, she does not disappoint. A great read.

Edit: May 14, 2022.

Changing my review from 4 to 5 stars. Now that I've finished probably 75% of the book, I get it. If you approach this subject matter prayerfully, preferably attending an Orthodox liturgy and having discussions about the book with other Orthodox Christians who have read it - and if you stick with the ideas presented therein - it will eventually "click."

Original Review:

I have not finished the book yet; I'm in Chapter 3 now. But I wanted to write a review from the standpoint of someone who was indoctrinated in the Protestant, Evangelical Christian tradition (Southern Baptist; Charismatic Non-Denominational; Assembly of God; Bible Church).

The book is frustrating to a Western Christian mind because, as far as I can tell so far, the Orthodox mindset or way of thinking simply resists rationalism. It places theology above logic, metaphysics above definition. The Orthodox approach to theology is staunchly apophatic - that is, it feels much more at home saying what God is *not*, as opposed to what God *is*. The same apophatic approach forms the heart of the Orthodox phronema. It resists clear, precise definitions, deductive argumentation, or any of the rigors of thought given to us by Greek philosophy.

This is the reason that Western Christians like myself (and particularly Roman Catholic Christians) have such a difficult time with Orthodoxy. We want to "pin them down" on theological and spiritual matters of life or death, but the Orthodox mind refuses to be pinned down.

A line in the book at the end of Chapter 2 describes the source of the frustration well:

"Tradition, phronema, and so many aspects of Orthodoxy are inexplicable and indefinable." (p. 34). This will frustrate the Western Christian mind, with its reliance on "systematic theology," and its adoption of Enlightenment principles of reason and logic. I found myself both allured by the book while at the same time finding it a bit of an offense to my rationalistic sensibilities. I feel this tension on virtually every page of the book.

I will keep reading! I enjoy books that challenge me, and "Thinking Orthodox" challenges me deeply. I get the sense that more than meets the eye is going in the Orthodox mind and environment, that I am standing in the presence of a great mystery, even if I find it like trying to have a deep conversation with a 7 year old!

Not sure what the remaining 300 pages need to say; perhaps the book didn't need to be quite this long, seeing as how nothing is strictly defined or rigorously reasoned out. Reading the book is more like going on a pilgrimage to a foreign land than a purely academic exercise. I find that refreshing, if annoying.

Dr. Constantinou's newest work is simply excellent. This book, a good length of over 300 pages, is a source of immense deep theological, historical, and cultural context for the events of the crucifixion. Anyone who has ever wondered why Judas betrayed Christ, why the Pharisees hated Christ so much, or even why Christ died in the first place should not hesitate to read this one! The amount of information that Dr. Constantinou obviously sifted through to present this work as it is is incredible, and she has made it easy for the lay person to pick up, read, and understand the immensity of the scholarship surrounding the crucifixion and first century Judaism at large. Having read this, the gospel accounts, especially those read in the Orthodox church during Holy Week, are even more full, striking, and understandable, and the broader context of each verse comes into light having read this, The Crucifixion of the King of Glory. Highly recommend, and I eagerly hope that Dr. Constantinou and Ancient Faith will keep more like this coming!

The Crucifixion Of The King Of Glory by Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, PHD


I was given an audible copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book is long, about 15 hours on audible and pretty academic. It’s not an easy weekend read, in my opinion. But, I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get a better understanding of the cross or someone looking for a good Lenten reading.
The first section of the book was a bit challenging for me to get through as it was mostly focused on the history of the Jewish customs. But, it was necessary to lay the ground work so I encourage you to press on if you find yourself struggling.
The last section of the book walks you through every step Jesus went through from the last supper on. It was great to read as we were approaching Holy Week in the church. I feel like I will now have a greater understanding than ever before as I attending the services. Dr. Jeanie went to great lengths to take you through the process and explain actions of the people around him. I found my heart aching so many times as she explained the horror and pain Jesus accepted for us. He laid down his life for us, it wasn’t taken from him. How moving this is! This quote from Augustine that Dr. Jeannie quoted gave me chills,“While Christ, the second Adam was asleep on the cross, his bride, the church was formed from his side. “
I HIGHLY recommend reading this book during lent and especially as you draw closer to Holy Week and ultimately Pascha. 10/10