Fantastic book. My children devoured it in one sitting and we actually used it as a character development topic of family conversation. Such a profound story and so inspiring. Please co tine to produce and publish books like this.

Beautiful book. Expresses the raw, immediate and courageous way St. Ignatius lived, with the simplicity of a child and the strength of a saint. I liked the breakdown of the subject headings, which cover basic principles of the Christian life. Perfect for catechumens, so I bought it as a sponsor's gift for my new 'godchild' on the day of his chrismation. Thank you.

My son and I both really enjoyed this. I hope more books in this series are in the works!

When this book was announced, I was so excited to request a free copy to review. The Age of Paradise Christendom from Pentecost to the First Millennium sounded like a great book to read for Bible / History in our homeschool this year 😀 This is Volume 1 of a 4 volume set that author John Strickland is set to write. This volume is about Paradise and Utopia The Rise and Fall of What the West Once Was.

The author, John Strickland is an Orthodox priest and former college professor. He blogs at https://johnstrickland.org/author/poulsbopisatel/ and his podcast can be found at https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/paradiseutopia.

I love all the information that Father Strickland imparts in this book. He lays the foundation of Christianity / Christendom as a basis of where current Christianity came from. He is very thorough in his descriptions.

There is something about this book that I just can’t get past. I could not finish it, which has been so very stressful for me 😞 There are very few books I haven’t finished, especially ones that I wanted to read as much as I wanted to read this one. And there’s LOTS of info I have underlined in this book. But, as I read this book I would have to go back and re-read many sections. I sat outside with my kids while they played one day and read this book, after I read a page and half I realized I had all ready read that section. I have struggled with writing this review, I don’t ever want to write a negative review if I can help it. Although there is much great information in this book, the writing just does not connect with me (or my husband). There are many good reviews, please read them too.

Beautifully illustrated, wonderful story! My kids (and I) loved it!

St. Nickolai (Velimirovich), Truly is a man of God and few humans have such a piercing insight into the bible.

Great drawings and story line. It's sad it not said that he, his wife and their two children were all tortured and rose with Christ the King.

Wonderfully written to help parents nurture an early love for God in their children, and thereby building a strong Orthodox Christian foundation in the home.

Packed into Sunday School rooms and little baskets in the back of churches around the country are books to teach our babies, our toddlers, our preschoolers, our elementary school students about the saints, the Church, and Orthodox Christian living. They are full of vibrant pictures and beautiful depictions of all that is lovely about our faith. There have recently come chapter books to teach and edify our older kids, which my children are quickly coming to love and reach for. For our older, visual learners, however, there has been something of a gap. Gabriel Wilson’s “The Cross and the Stag” has beautifully bridged that gap.
“The Cross and the Stag” tells the story of St. Eustathius, his wife, St. Theopiste, and his sons, Sts. Agapius and Theopistus. Like many other saints, their story begins with glory, honor, and money. There comes an encounter with the living God. There is suffering, pain, death, and Christ’s glorification. The details are different, but as Orthodox Christians, we know the general pattern.
What Wilson brings to the table through “The Cross and the Stag” is a well-told story, told simply through words and delightfully through image. His telling so tastefully depicts the terrors and pain that the family endures, that I had no problem reading this to my sensitive six-year-old, and my eight-year-old, and eleven-year-old daughters loved it as well. Wilson’s illustrations enhance St. Eustathius’ story and made my children excited to continue reading, especially my middle child who often finds “church books” to be “boring.” I am eager to share this book with the children in our church, and graphic novel-loving friends. A whole series of these graphic novels would make excellent material for a saints study unit in Sunday schools, GOYA/SOYA groups, or in home education. We are excitedly anticipating the next in Wilson’s Among the Saints series.



Adeline (11):

I like the art in “The Cross and the Stag.” I haven’t seen saint stories in graphic novel form before. Sometimes kids can be bored by just reading a story, so graphic novel form makes it more exciting for younger kids and older kids alike. I love stories of saint families. You can really see how God can tie a family together. Families can sometimes fight, but I think that saint stories show a good example of how families can be. When I think of a saint, I think of someone who is always at peace and quiet, but St. Euthatius was a general in an army! He was fighting and he was probably even killing people. It shows that God can take anyone and make them a saint!

My Papa always says that God always answers your prayers and always solves your problems, but not always in the way you expect. St. Eustathius lost everything and then gained it all back again. I would highly recommend this book. Because it is about a family of saints, I think that it would be a good book for a family to read together.



Katherine (8):

Beautiful story. Some blood, which is a little gross. Sad in some parts. Happy in a lot of parts. Overall awesome.

I love this calendar and can't believe something like this hasn't been published before now! The photos, the organization by Liturgical season, the feast-days and saints highlighted...it's a wonderful addition to our home!

My 12 month old loves this book! He will often hand it to me to read, however with his attention span at the moment, we rarely read all the pages. I love this book as well and am happy to read him a fun story that teaches him to turn to God through out the day.

The only thing I would change is to make it red-letter.

This book is absolutely fantastic! Blueprints for the Little Church starts with talking about how our home - our family - is our little church. Learning about God, teaching our faith, it all starts at home. And this wonderful book takes you step by step, and explains different things you can do to grow your little church, from the very beginnings of getting started, to church/parish life, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and everything in-between. I am a clergy wife, and I found loads of inspiration and wonderful advice (we struggle just as much as the next family!) I really appreciated the tips and advice offered in this book. Whether you are a new convert to Orthodoxy, or have grown up in the faith, you will find so much wonderful information! I also like how there are quotes from saints and holy fathers about raising children. My favorite part is actually the appendix. There they go through all the major feasts and events of the Liturgical year, with a brief explanation of the feast, and activities and suggestions for getting your kids more involved. The authors have really created a gem of a resource! Not only is this great to have at home and read through periodically when you are hitting those rough patches with your kids, but it would also make an excellent gift for new parents! I hope you read it and get as much out of it as I did!

Fantastic idea and execution. I look forward to more graphic novels in this series.

Great graphic novel all my kids from 8 and up loved it, even my teenagers

I'm (undeservedly) Blessed to be named for him (St.Eutace).

Even I learnt a few new things here... epic lessons
in perseverance and Trust with the Ortho' 3-bar
Cross substituted for the "T".

Godspeed!
stacey*

Foundational. A must read for all Orthodox.

Just wonderful

I bought 2 copies of The Cross and the Stag, one for my son (3) and 1 for my nephew and niece (9 and 6) to share. It is a fabulous graphic novel, stimulating the older kids to ask more questions about our faith and the saints and my son love it both to be read and to just look at the pictures. My husband and I have even read it several times on our own. You will not be disappointed by this book at any age!

I bought this for my seven year-old, and he devoured it. We need more graphic novels like this to teach the faith, fire the imagination, and inspire future generations of Orthodox artists, screenwriters, and storytellers.