Timeless wisdom

I like this much better than the HTM Psalter of the Seventy. It flows very nicely and I have it on Kindle and Audible. The Audible version has two versions - spoken and chanted. I purchased the paperback and liked it so much that I bought the imitation leather version. The binding is very nice and should hold up well to daily use. After reading a few of the not so positive reviews, I understand why the Orthodox monks wanted to stay anonymous. I love the translation and it is my daily, go to Psalter. Well done.

Absolutely beautiful! Our faith is rooted in the resurrection of our Lord and this icon is a wonderful reminder of what is in store for each of us who follow Him.

There is much to praise about a beautiful picture book that offers a darling peek into an ordinary Orthodox Christian family just doing what Orthodox Christians do: struggle against the passions as we express our love for God. Seeing such a theological idea portrayed simply in the interactions between a four year old, his parents, big sister, and favorite stuffie is delightful, and a gift to my children. Seeing our particular expression of Christianity portrayed (validated!) in this and other recently-published books is a new and wonderful experience. For this reason, I recommend this book to Orthodox families.

That said, I do have some critiques of the book worth mentioning. The story and its details feel strongly like they were pulled directly out of the author’s family life, which isn’t necessarily a criticism, except that there are moments when I wish he had made different choices to make the story more broadly accessible. For example, the sister’s name is Kyranna, which is a beautiful name if one knows how to pronounce it and can roll an “r” – but it seems like an unnecessary stumbling block to non-Greek readers. Other details (like the bit about the afternoon snack) were a little hard to follow, but I have come to assume that they came from a real-life exchange to which the author was trying to be faithful.

There is a bit of a clunkiness in the narration, particularly at the beginning, that I wish could have been smoothed out, but may be chalked up to personal style. However there are moments when the language really does shine. In the face of a particularly “devastating” disappointment relating to a pillow fort, the story reads (almost like poetry): “He was struggling to struggle. He wanted what he wanted / when he wanted it, / and he wanted to do / what he wanted to do / when he wanted to do it! / Even so, Anthony, remembering his prayer, decided to act like his saint. He gave Mikey a blessing for the journey ahead and kiss on each cheek.” This, and the very sweet ending, really make this book a treasure for any Christian family’s library.

(I received a copy of this book from Ancient Faith Publishing in exchange for my honest review)

My 7-year-old was excited to read this book as soon as he saw the cover. ANTHONY, THE GREAT certainly carries a positive message about learning self-control and accepting one’s struggles, but it most engaged my son through its lovely illustrations and the protagonist, an adventurous little boy who loves dinosaurs. He readily identified with Anthony and his experiences.

As a recent convert, I enjoyed sharing this book with my son as a way to talk about our behaviors that we struggle with and what it looks like to try to become more like the saints through our struggles. It was also nice to point out the part where Anthony briefly mentions his family’s fasting, which is still new to my own family.

It’s not easy to teach a child the value of suffering and sacrifice, but this cute and clever book does just that…and with humor! The day this arrived in my mailbox I happened to be hosting four extra children along with my own two—ages 4-13—and they all loved this story about a spunky little boy who learns a few life lessons from the life of his patron saint, Saint Anthony the Great. As an Orthodox parent I’m so thankful to have good books to share with my children that illustrate the virtues of our faith in a way that is accessible to them. The main character —also known as Tony-Baloney—is relatable to any child who has to learn the very hard lesson of how to put aside his own wants and desires in obedience to Christ. This book is funny, well-written and a great way to teach children to look to their patron saints for guidance on how to deal with the hard things in life…I highly recommend it!

had the originals - these are a great resource for not only those either interested or new to Orthodoxy but to all those already Orthodox. There is so much of our own faith we do not know - these are comprehensive in their scope.

I loved this great kids book! I really hope you come out with more soon! It was quite short, so it leaves readers wanting more awesome stories!

Very inspirational. Couldn't put it down.

It’s a great book, but was wondering if it also comes in Greek

Very good biographies of saintly people who live in the world. The majority of Orthodox Christians live in the world and are not monastics, so we have need of good examples like the ones presented in this book.

Beautiful illustrations and text make the feasts of the Church more real for my kids. My 11 and 9 year old love the mix of pictures and information!

Love her voice! I have both the audiobook and paperback. Time and Despondency by Nicole Roccas is a beautifully written book and you can easily tell she put her heart and soul into it. I have to admit that although I thoroughly enjoyed the book I struggled at times to comprehend it. I did decide to buy the hard copy book to go along with the audio version and that really helped. I am also hoping to get a small book study group together because I feel it is very well suited for that. I would to get others thoughts and opinions and more experienced Orthodox to help me since I am a new convert

I love it! I own one, and I ordered few more for friends.
Thank you so much and God bless you all.

A wonderful preparation for confession.

Pros- easy to read and understand for people n few to the idea of orthodoxy. Nice cover, does not feel cheaply made. I use it daily.

Con-I cannot remove the bar code sticker, which bugs me simply for esthetic purposes.

Wow - this was absolutely fantastic. I'm not orthodox, but I've been very curious about this ancient faith. This book was entertaining, enlightening, encouraging, and a fantastic read. Both my wife and I read it - both had laughter and tears. Highly recommend.

Pros- easy to read and understand for people n few to the idea of orthodoxy. Nice cover, does not feel cheaply made. I use it daily.

Con-I cannot remove the bar code sticker, which bugs me simply for esthetic purposes.

Reviewed it and gave it out to children of the appropriate age who seem to like it and appreciated the advice.

This is a wonderful, easy way to introduce the beautiful and unique elements of the Orthodox Church. The pictures help little ones see more clearly what they see each week. The book serves as a real life matching game keeping little ones occupied in their faith.