7 year old girl - “It’s fun and wonderful. My favorite part is when Sasha makes he sign of he cross and Archangel Michael destroys the dragon.”
9 year old girl - “I like it. And I like how it shows the true story of how to trust in God.”
12 year old boy - “it’s and all around good book that is good for bedtime stories. It’s a short easy read. I like the illustrations especially the one of the icon of Archangel Michael, it looks like the one in our altar.”

Mom here, I can see how the illustrations of the dragon (or even the idea of a dragon under your bed clawing its way out) could create a a new fear if your child doesn’t all ready have those fears. I can also see how this book teaches the child to pray to God and to ask their guardian angel for assistance in times of fear. Know your child ;) I like the book and how it incorporates new experiences (moving, sick grandmother, etc.), multiple family generations, making new friends and more in such a short story in a seamless manner. Beautifully illustrated! We totally recommend this book :) We received a free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.

(I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.)
As most, if not all, Orthodox Christians know, Lent is one of the most difficult times of the year as the days just seemed packed with services, readings, and prayers—not to mention all that normal life entails, especially for families. Enter Tending the Garden of Our Hearts which meets the needs of a functional Lenten devotional that is flexible enough for families to use with regularity.
I will admit that I was somewhat skeptical at first hearing that Ancient Faith was publishing a daily Lenten devotional for families. Families get busy and kids require a lot of attention and time; nobody can guarantee that they will be available for seven weeks of devotionals. In fact, even when I was single and living alone, I struggled with completing a Lenten devotional without having to double-up on reading when I happened to skip one or two days.
To my pleasant surprise, authors Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger foresaw this and planned accordingly. In their instructions on how to make the best use of this volume, they recognize the nature of family life and the “rhythms” that are involved. Therefore, they have arranged the book in such a way as to allow families to adapt it easily for their own needs. It is unnecessary—though certainly beneficial—to read each of these as a family each day. If life happens, it is okay to skip that lesson and move on to the next one. This simple allowance, I feel, is extraordinarily moving and helpful to keep parents and families from being too self-critical that they are not able to keep to a plan when life happens.
Furthermore, the daily lessons are simple enough to be understood by small children but meaningful enough that even the parents will benefit from reading them. Reading through these and thinking how I might make use of them in my own family, I realized that it will probably be beneficial for a parent to read through the lesson beforehand to be familiar with the topic and message so that if it needs to be adapted for little ears to understand it is easier for them to do so.
I love the structure of readings being divided into weeks and then subdivided into days. I think keeping the message that the Orthodox Church teaches on Sunday as the theme for the entire week is extraordinarily helpful as it allows us to learn and reflect over several days. Rather than rushing quickly from one topic to the next, we are invited to slow down and reflect which seems incredibly helpful at this time of the year.
I highly recommend this book to all families and even to those of you without families who might benefit from having a guided devotional that allows for a group to gather and discuss these important truths.

If more frequent Eucharistic participation is our spiritual medicine for Lent and more frequent services in communal prayers is spiritual food, then Tending the Garden of Our Hearts: Daily Lenten Meditations for Families by Elissa Bjetelich and Kristina Wenger is a spiritual drink of cool, sweet water for the family during the fast. If you’re looking for something to do in your home to help your family grow in faith throughout Lent, this is the book to get.

Lent in particular and asceticism in general is our conditioning for the Kingdom, and Tending the Garden of Our Hearts is a Rocky training montage for the whole family. It is a series of daily reflections on Lenten themes written for families. Structurally, the book is divided into weeks (just like Lent) and then subdivided into days. Each day’s reflection ties into the week’s theme and draws from scripture, church history, the lives of the saints, Orthodox spiritual praxis, liturgics, and the patristic witness. Each daily meditation ends with review/catechetical questions about the reflection text and then an open-ended discussion prompt for exploration, either individually or as a family. In addition to reflections, reviews, and discussions, the book also contains a number of craft ideas and planned activities to work on for each week of the Lenten period. There are activities for all and look both edifying and fun.

Even though we’ve planned our Lenten season as a family, we will undoubtedly fail at different points. It is God’s grace that keeps us getting up and persevering through the great fast as we labor toward the Feast of Feasts. The rhythm, while guided by liturgical practice, daily meditation, and fasting, will undoubtedly be “fall down—get up—fall down—get up,” as Elissa & Kristina appropriately predict in their book.

I was blessed to receive a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My honest review, in short, is that this is a great book for a family to use in Lent. I highly recommend it.

Tending the Garden of Our Hearts is a simple and well-rounded devotional for Orthodox families. The way the topics are chosen, such as Prayer, Fasting, etc. each week are very helpful and engaging. the stories and examples given are not only helpful and easy to understand, but they cover a wide variety of sources for teaching in the Orthodox Church. One minute we are discussing Old Testament Saints, the next is Saints of recent memory, and the next we are discussing a parable of Jesus. All the way through, accessible-yet-deep analogies and examples are given that make clear the spiritual truths of Orthodoxy for both children and adults. As an Orthodox convert who has done a lot of reading at this point, I was surprised how many things in this simple book I had not heard.

The book contains activities in the back for families to help engage their children in Lent, such as a Pascha calendar (like an Advent calendar during Christmas/Nativity). I think these, in particular, would be very helpful to any family. I also appreciated the questions after each chapter, and the "For Discussion" notes at the very end certainly got me thinking.

One specific thought I had about the book that I found very valuable was that this book would be a great one to give an "Ortho-curious" friend who has no interest in becoming Orthodox, but wants to find a way to participate in Lent. I think this book would be a fantstic gift for Protestant friends who feel this way, as it very simply covers basic practices of the faith in ways both Children and those unfamiliar with Orthodoxy would find very accessible. Even my non-Christian friends would love the themes of forgiveness and personal transformation. I think this book offers an entry point to Orthodox thought, through Lent, to children, non-Orthodox, and adult Orthodox even.

I recently heard that a new devotional book by Elissa Bjeletich & Kristina Wenger was set to be released for this Lent. The excitement was simply too much to bear & I _had_ to have a look-see. It has been a pleasure reading through Tending the Garden of our Hearts: Daily Lenten Meditations for Families & my heart is delighted to make this book a regular addition to the Lenten traditions of our family.

In the style of their popular podcast of the same name, Mrs. Bjeletich & Mrs. Wenger have created a daily devotional reader for every day of Lent & Holy Week. With their signature storytelling style & “approachable for younger ears” verbiage (without patronizing or watering down the content), they focus on each week’s unique theme (Forgiveness, Orthodoxy, Prayer, etc) & follow up each chapter with thought-provoking discussion questions. The back of the book contains an appendix full of craft & object lesson ideas. Lent is a wonderful, but often feverishly busy time. I find myself frequently desiring to create activities for my own children that bring home the powerful messages of the season, but not enough time, hands or extra energy to make it happen consistently. Tending the Garden takes the exhaustive thought-work & idea conjuring out of the equation & presents busy-mom-friendly projects that make a Lenten “curriculum” doable.

If you’re already a fan of Mrs. Bjeletich and Mrs. Wenger’s
work or enjoyed the Welcoming the Christ Child devotional during advent, I have no doubt that you will find this resource no less helpful or lovely in the nurturing of your own Little Church. If this is your first foray into the Tending of the Garden of our Hearts world, you’re in for a treat. Offering storytelling, approachability, conversations & bushels of beautiful ideas, this title would be a great addition for any family looking to add another layer of depth, structure, daily poignancy & family connection to their Lenten journey.

I was offered an advanced copy by Ancient Faith Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

As a convert from Protestantism, I often struggle with the idea of doing devotions as a family. Is it ok? How should I do it? Am I being “Orthodox enough”?

That is one reason I loved Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger’s book. There is a 3-4 page devotion for each day that can be done as a whole family. There is also a fantastic appendix with further ideas for crafts, activities, and more based on each week of Lent.

Tending the Garden of the Heart is a meaningful tool to help your entire family engage in the spiritual discipline of Great Lent.

I found the devotions (about a Scripture passage, life of a saint, or theme of Lent) to be suitable for elementary-aged children to high-schoolers. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter range from basic comprehension questions designed for a younger audience to more in-depth analysis appropriate for teenagers.

Finally, I really appreciated the section titled “How to Use This Book” that gave readers permission to dip into the book when they had time but not feel guilty if they missed some days. Don’t try to play catch-up, the authors encourage, but just go to today’s reading and work from there. As a struggling perfectionist, I was thankful for this advice!

If you would like to help your family grow spiritually during Lent (without having to come up with ideas all on your own!), I recommend this book.

Despondency seems to affect us all so much....get this book, use it, rather than destructive behaviors....she gets to the meaning of life...we cannot tell you how powerful this book is, it's amazing.

I'm always on the lookout for good family resources to celebrate the church year. So I took the opportunity to review Tending the Garden of Our Hearts: Daily Lenten Meditations for Families by Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger, receiving a copy from Ancient Faith Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

When I expressed interest in the book, I made sure they knew that I'm not Orthodox. But as an Anglican, I welcomed this opportunity to learn more about Great Lent in Orthodoxy. The book consists of daily devotionals that follow and deepen the theme for each Sunday in Great Lent: Forgiveness, Orthodoxy, Prayer, The Cross/Humility, The Ladder of Divine Ascent/Alms-giving, and St. Mary of Egypt. It's based on the authors' podcast last year and it's meant for families with children of all ages to read together.

To Orthodox families, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's a resource that strengthens the connection between the home and the church. It will carry you along with the traditions of the church and will enrich your understanding of the Lenten themes of each week. The authors meant the book to be read to families with a wide range of ages. If you only have preschool age children, the chapters would be a bit long, and some of the saints' stories are slightly nuanced. But generally, the content is both rich and simple. I especially appreciated the discussions of fasting, which linked Adam and Eve's failure to fast properly with the perfect examples of Christ and his followers, the saints. For example, in the life of Mary of Egypt:

"When she was young, she loved to sin, but in the desert her fasting trampled her sins and grew holiness like a wonderful flower in her heart. Fasting is really how we tend the garden of our hearts, tearing out the spiritual weeds of sin and nurturing the sweetly fragrant flowers of a healthy spiritual life.”

If you are not Orthodox, I think this book can be very helpful in family life as a reference and a potential template, as well as an opportunity to learn more about Orthodoxy. It would be difficult to use it as a family devotional, however, without significant rewording and adjustments. I love the activity section in the appendix! The craft ideas seem doable and genuinely helpful, rather than just contrived for the sake of something crafty. This section inspired me to start lists of Lenten activity ideas: oiling coloring pages to look like stained glass, creating photo prayer books, modeling clay to emphasize hard and soft hearts, and my favorite, a path to Pascha.

While I am very much Anglican, I admire the communal emphasis of Great Lent. For example, I loved learning about Forgiveness Sunday, in which every church member goes around the congregation asking forgiveness of the other. And, while the Orthodox fast is intimidating, I imagine that since everyone is in it together, it builds community and is not a matter of an individual trying to go "above and beyond." Obviously, an individualistic focus isn’t part of western Lenten traditions, but services like Forgiveness Sunday and the clear-cut communal fasting expectations make it hard to miss that Great Lent is about spring cleaning the whole church and not just my individual soul.

In summary, I recommend this book to Orthodox families and would like to find an Anglican devotional similar to it! And if you’re not Orthodox and are looking for a simple way to understand Great Lent, this would be an excellent choice. I am thankful for the opportunity to review this book and learn more about Lent in the Orthodox tradition.

“...every home has a rhythm...[during Great Lent] the Church invites us to weed through our schedules and to slow down, to refocus our attention and our hearts on growing closer to God.”

This daily devotional is an answer to any busy family’s prayers of how to bring the richness of Great Lent to life in their home. In this one place, a parent can quickly find a daily meditation, questions to discuss and engage their children, and numerous activities.

This book is well organized and easy to use. It is divided into weekly themes inspired by the designated Sundays of Great Lent. The daily meditations contain varied stories from the Old and New Testaments, the lives of the Saints and martyrs, church traditions, historical references, prayers, and the wisdom of church leaders and monastics. These stories are narrated in a way that captures the attention of listeners of all ages. Both my children and myself learned and reflected on a different aspect of Orthodoxy daily. Additionally, there is an appendix with various weekly themed crafts and activities. There is so much material in this one book that your family will have much to learn, discuss, and create for years to come.

Last Lent, our family of six listened to the podcasts of these daily meditations. We greatly benefited from the diverse topics discussed and the activities suggested. We chose the “Path to Pascha” activity as a means to count down the days of Great Lent and to anticipate the coming of Christ. This sand garden uses rock stepping stones, placed daily, to form a path to a central candle, “the light of Christ,” which was finally lit on Pascha. The children especially enjoyed this daily reminder of the joy to come at the end of our Lenten journey.

This book is a must-have for any Orthodox family as a complete resource for daily meditations, discussions, and activities throughout Great Lent.

The book “Tending the Garden of our Hearts: Daily Lenten Meditations for Families” is a gentle walk through the season of Lent appropriate for the whole family. I wholeheartedly recommend this book as a way to have a daily refocusing for your family as you navigate the Liturgical services and activities of the Lenten season.

The podcast, Tending the Garden of our Hearts on Ancient Faith Radio, has been a family staple of ours since the first episode aired. So when I was given a chance to review Elissa Bjeletich’s and Kristina Wenger’s new book with an advanced copy, I did not hesitate to offer up my time for an early read and unbiased review. And, let me tell you, I love this book. The book is structured to have a daily reading that focuses on the themes and readings of the liturgical calendar. Each day offers a list of questions, and most importantly the answers, that help bring forward the key points. The final chapters of the book offer suggestions for family crafts and Lenten countdown activities.

I find that this book helped to add the structure to Lent at home we have been missing in the past years. I love the concept of building a tradition of a daily focus not only on the actions we pursue during Lent but also taking the time to ruminate on the reasoning behind those choices. The readings are beautifully written with poignant stories to illustrate those themes. Incorporating a craft takes the reading a step farther. Giving little hands (and big hands) a way to celebrate the journey of Lent.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed adding this book to my library and look forward to using it this year and many years to come.

This title is available as a book, kindle version, and as an audio-book read by the authors.

This book has given me a lot to think about in how I relate to time, and give some wonderful steps to help one move back into the struggle of embracing the present moment in order to find Christ there.

I read this book as part of a reading plan for Lent, I don't think I would have gotten it otherwise, I read western theology but eastern christianity is intimidating to me. So St John of the Ladder sounds really out of reach. This book is a great introduction to St John of the Ladder, it explains every step, with quotes clearly identified, and explanations and practical application for every day lay people.
It reminds me a little of the "imitation of Christ" in the style and recommendations. It is obviously not the same, but it sounds intimidating and turns out to be fairly concrete and clear.

“It is necessary to confront life for life loves the brave” (I Live Again, a Memoir of Ileana)

At one point in the book, Princess Ileana spoke those words and they could not be a truer description of who she was and what her life was. I myself listened to this book while I drove and to be honest, I found myself laughing, smiling and often times shedding a tear. It was as if she sat next to me pouring out her heart and the joys and difficulties of a life of war. Her words, I found very dear to my heart since I know what a life of a refugee is like and what a life during a war brings to a nation. Throughout the chapters, Princess Ileana became a sister, friend, and a mother to me. Her bravery, her love, and her example as an Orthodox woman amazed me with each chapter. She was a princess with a crown, but not with a modern understanding of what a princess should be. She was a princess with a crown of faith and love. The book illustrates how much she gave and learned for her people and to help those in need. Her duty to her nation is showcased in the book as she fights for her family, her nation and her people during WWII and before she left her Romania. She is a true image of what an Orthodox woman should be, and every young girl and woman should read the words of this saintly princess who spent her life giving and giving. The book also gives a historical count of what was happening in Romania and in Europe during WWII and what war truly does to humanity. But regardless of how much evil there is and all the chaos it creates, Princess Ileana shows that everything will resurrect and truly live again.

I was excited to receive my long-anticipated copy of Tending the Garden of Our Hearts in the mail yesterday afternoon. So excited that I have already finished it!

During the last Advent fast my youngest children were old enough to participate in Welcoming the Christ Child: Family Readings for the Nativity Lent. I found it helpful as well, because I had to digest each reading and retell it for the very youngest ages. As any teacher knows, you learn more when you have to teach something to others. When I found that a similar book of Lenten readings/meditations was going to be available for Lent this year I was delighted!



Tending the Garden of Our Hearts has a very simple and logical format. There are six sections corresponding to each week of Lent and one for Holy Week and Pascha. Each week has a theme set by the particular Sunday of the Lenten Triodion: Forgiveness, Orthodoxy, Prayer, The Cross, The Ladder (almsgiving), and Fasting. The readings of each day explore this theme using examples from scripture readings and the lives of the saints (both old and new). The use of stories is always effective when teaching a lesson whether to children or adults and I found them to be engaging and age-appropriate. There are a few simple questions at the end of each reading to encourage attentiveness and discussion. An appendix at the end of the book contains suggestions for some activities and crafts for each week, some extending through the entirety of Lent. These are optional, however, so if you can only do one or a few you will not be “missing out.” (Because my children so thoroughly enjoyed matching each advent ornament to the picture in the book and hanging it on our tree, I fully intend to do a “path to Pascha” garden with numbered stones. Otherwise, I am afraid they will not be as engaged.)



One wonderful aspect of this book is the potential it has for growing with your family. As your children get older they will understand more and the discussions will be different each year. Crafts that may have seemed overwhelming with toddlers will be positively fun with those in primary school. Prayer ropes may be made with pony beads this year, but in a few years you could all be learning how to knot them yourselves. This book is not a once-and-done! Even if your children are tiny you can now get them in the habit of setting aside a daily time to pray and listen to a story. Planting these small seeds and “tending the garden” of their hearts is a slow process, but one that has the potential to bear heavenly fruit. I heartily recommend this book for families of all descriptions, even those who are still awaiting children!

[I received an advance copy of this book from Ancient Faith in return for an unbiased review.]

When my oldest daughter turned 6, the dragon phase began. It totally started with the fact that our church's patron saint was a dragon-slayer, but then kept going beyond that, turning into a love for the How to Train Your Dragon franchise of movies, shows and books. (And the occasional viewing of the Disney sort-of-classic Pete's Dragon.)

Then the book Sasha and the Dragon came out. Written by author Laura E. Wolfe, and illustrated by Nicholas Malara, the book is certainly a children's book, but has an overarching theme that adults can appreciate: in all of their forms and ways, transition and change are very difficult, and often scary. And they frequently feel like there's a dragon trying to get you. In the book, Sasha is a little boy who has just lost his grandmother, and who has moved to a new city where things are dark, crowded and chaotic. He is bullied, and is certain that there is a dragon under his bed. However, Sasha is faithful. He prays to God for help, and eventually receives intercession from St. Michael the Archangel. The saints hear his prayers and calls for help, and things gradually become easier for Sasha.

The illustrations of the book are stunning and really set the tone for what Sasha is enduring. Things are dark, dim and uncertain, and the colors of the illustrations- mostly black, gray, and dark tones- put that into place. At 32 pages, it's short enough for a smaller audience, and since receiving her copy, my oldest daughter has not only loved the story, but used its lesson in her own life. Her four-year old younger sister has also loved the book. Overall, Sasha and the Dragon carries on a tradition of great books from Ancient Faith Publishing that, while aimed at children, have a lesson to teach the adults. And the lesson is simple: pray in times of trouble, and do not try to endure the struggle alone.

As a catechumen, and mother of six children, I've encountered such vast riches within Orthodoxy for deepening my faith and teaching my kids what it means to live a holy life. There are specific prayers for particular days, activities, and even hours of each day! There are fasting seasons and feasts and saints and stories that prod us out of chronos time, into kairos time. With these gifts comes the challenge of incorporating these good things into our daily lives without trying to do too much at once, burning out.

I so deeply appreciate Tending the Garden of Our Hearts addressing the real need of gathering the family together during Great Lent with prepared, insightful meditations. Paradoxically Lent can be a bit stressful, trying to figure out fast-friendly meals, attend more services, and seeing our sins surface when no longer hidden by our comfort foods (or is that just me?). Having meditations to turn to at the close of the day, as a family, is a true gift. Last year we listened to the podcast series that the authors did, which later turned into this book, and each meditation sparked good conversations and introspection among both my teens, my elementary age kids, and my toddlers.

This book is a great aid to families who are converting as well, because it connects to and explains the special services within Great Lent, so as they are experiencing these things, they can delve deeper into their meaning and history.

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

I follow the work of several Western Christian writers and speakers, and they often reference doing daily devotionals as a family. While I know that there are many devotional books available from Western sources, I am not aware of many such Orthodox Christian resources. So I was delighted to learn that Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger had created Tending the Garden of Our Hearts: Family Meditations for Great Lent.

Reading Tending the Garden has brought me great joy, and, as a result, I have already begun getting excited for Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha.

Before I began reading, I wondered if the writing style would feel more geared toward children and not as useful for adults. However, I quickly found myself encountering new, helpful ways of thinking about Orthodox ideas. The writing style felt accessible to children, but not off-putting to adults. I think the book will work equally great as a daily Lenten devotional for my family now, when we're adults only, and with kids in the future.

In the book, the weeks of Great Lent are organized into themes. I often wondered how authors Elissa and Kristina came up with so many well-thought-out topics to connect with each theme. For example, they mention a number of saints that I knew little or nothing about, such as Elder Dobri. He is described in the fourth week of Lent, which focuses on the Cross and the ways that different people have taken up their cross and followed Christ (Matt. 16:24).

Elder Dobri was a Bulgarian who fell asleep in the Lord just last year. This very humble man lived a simple life of holiness. In his nineties, he spent much of his time begging on the street outside of a cathedral in Sofia, the capital city. People later learned that the money Elder Dobri collected all went to several different churches to fund their restoration. He himself was living in a small building in the churchyard of his native village, where he slept on the floor and ate very little. And, when he wasn't collecting money, he was helping with repair work on the church where he lived. People recognized Elder Dobri's holiness because "he simply radiated kindness and meekness and love.... When people put some money into his cup, he would give them a loving look and thank them for their charity" (pg. 132).

I love reading about saints like this--people who, in our ordinary world, found ways to embrace the love of God and pour it out to others. Some of the other saints discussed in the book include St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, St. Constantine the Great, Mother Maria of Paris, and St. John of the Ladder. The rich diversity encourages readers to consider what their own unique path to holiness might be, recognizing that God has unique plans for each of us that won't be exactly like anyone else's life story. And, really, the whole purpose of "tending the garden of our hearts" is to seek holiness in our lives, to learn to become channels of God's love into the world.

So I am resoundingly recommending this wonderful new book from Ancient Faith Publishing, with much gratitude to the authors for their excellent, whole-hearted work, which will bless many families this Lent and in the years to come.

As I listened to this audiobook, my mind kept returning to one thought... Princess Ileana, during the time of the war, exemplified the Proverbs 31 woman:
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
This book is not about her monastic life or the establishment of the monastery. This book is a journal of the events of Princess Ileana's life during a very specific time period- her life during WWII and after- leading up to her family leaving Romania. How she "lives again" as she transitions from being a princess of Romania to the Archduchess of Austria to the time of WWII, and, finally, to when she is forced with her family to leave her country.
Princess Ileana was not idle- her ability to learn nursing, build hospitals, give to the poor, and convince communist officials to support her endeavors were inspiring.
As I finished this audiobook, I was inspired by her untiring example of giving to others and helping her fellow man. And, her adventures, which she writes about very matter of fact (almost as if she believes that anyone else would have done the same thing which shows her true humility). I am eager to learn more about how Princess Ileana became Mother Alexandra of blessed memory, how she "lives again" in monasticism.
Technically, this audiobook is very well done. The quality of the recording is amazing. The narrator, Kristina Wenger, does an excellent job- I almost believed it was the voice of Princess Ileana herself!
The one downside to the audiobook is that the published book does contain illustrations and photos of Princess Ileana and her family. But, that is the downside to audiobooks, especially autobiographical books, is that there is not a way to convey the photos or artwork. We happen to own a copy of the book and I was able to look through the photos/illustrations (but I waited until after I finished listening to the book in order to write a review of the audiobook).
I was gifted a copy of this audiobook for an honest review. Purchase your own copy of the audiobook through Audible.com

Note, Ancient Faith Publishing is providing me a print copy of this book as an incentive for an honest review. Because the print version was not available at the time, this review is based on an electronic advance reader copy in PDF format.

Tending the Garden of Our Hearts is a book of daily devotionals, specifically designed for the 50 days of the Eastern Christian season of Great Lent and Holy Week. The book is written to be used in a family setting, though it can be profitably read by an individual.

In addition to the daily readings and thoughtful discussion questions for each day, the book contains an appendix, detailing three "Countdown to Pascha" family craft ideas (in a similar spirit to an Advent calendar) and 30 pages of crafts and object lessons for the different weeks of the season. The daily readings are written in a style that is accessible to all but the youngest children, yet they contain enough depth to fully engage adults.

Having successfully used Elissa Bjeletich's similar Nativity-themed, Welcoming the Christ Child with our young family (three children under 6 years old), I was happy to find this book in time for Great Lent, and I can't help but compare the two as part of this review:

Comparison #1: While Welcoming the Christ Child comes with a set of ornaments and has the pictures repeated in the book, Tending the Garden of Our Hearts does not. One of our kids' favorite things during the Nativity fast was uncovering the picture and then figuring out how it related to the story. The "countdown" craft ideas may make up for this. (Because I received an advance reader copy, the devotionals we read were not done during Great Lent, and thus we haven't yet tried out any of the countdown ideas.)

Comparison #2: The readings in this book seem a little longer. They're certainly not too long (3—4 pages), but holding the attention of busy, young kids occasionally became a challenge.

A fantastic inclusion is the opening "How to Use This Book" section, especially the encouragement that you don't have to play catch-up if you miss a day (or five). With this type of daily devotional, trying to make up for lost time often becomes discouraging, and it's nice to have "permission" to just move on.

The readings follow the general "theme" of each week of Great Lent and Holy Week, and most are based on the life of a saint. Each one is interesting and thought-provoking at many levels.

The questions at the end of each reading are of two flavors: There are two to five how-well-were-you-paying-attention type questions (with answers); these serve as a recap, if needed, of the main points of the reading, and are particularly good for sparking discussions with younger kids. These are followed by a longer, open-ended discussion question. With our young crew, we don't use the discussion questions, but they're excellent, and I look forward to the day when we can.

I believe this book will become a treasured tradition at our house for years to come.

Last spring, I visited the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration near Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. The beauty and serenity of the monastery, the prayerful services, and the sisters’ warm hospitality provided a needed respite after a busy Lenten season. It was there that I first learned of Princess Ileana, who in her later years took up a monastic vocation and, as Abbess Mother Alexandra, founded the first English-speaking Orthodox women’s monastery on American soil in the hills of western Pennsylvania. My visit coincided with the 50th year of the monastery’s founding, and with this anniversary I Live Again: A Memoir of Ileana was to be reprinted by Ancient Faith Publishing. Within weeks of its publication, I purchased the book and entered, entranced, into Ileana’s story.

This is not the story of a fairytale princess. Princess Ileana writes passionately, frankly, and compellingly of her country, Romania, and of a royal life intertwined with the stark and frequently brutal realities of World Wars I and II and of the Communist takeover of her country. “Duty was the keyword of my childhood and youth,” Princess Ileana explains. “I was trained to do my duty to my country in all things … to be loyal to family and friends.” It is this sense of duty and loyalty suffused with a deep faith and fervent love for her country, her people, and her family that weaves through tale after amazing tale.

Summing up lessons learned, Princess Ileana confides: “I know now that love and pity, implemented with the will to serve, can transcend all things and work incredible miracles; that one can overcome shyness, fatigue, fear, and even what seems uncontrollable physical repulsion, by a simple overwhelming longing to serve and be of use … I have learned that where there is faith in the Lord, His work can be done.” Written just a few short years after she was exiled from Romania, this is a book of hope – hence the title, I Live Again. The additional material included in this anniversary edition sets the memoir in the context of Mother Alexandra’s later life, accentuating how fully she did indeed “live again.”

I found this book hard to put down; it was like saying farewell to a dear friend when I came to the last pages. So, when the opportunity arose to provide an honest review in exchange for gratis access to the audiobook version of I Live Again I was eager to do so. A second go at the book only deepened my appreciation of Princess Ileana’s storytelling prowess. The narrator reads with feeling and a well-paced cadence, effortlessly pronouncing enigmatic Romanian names. I highly recommend this book: to men and women, to teens and adults, to fans of memoir, to fans of early to mid-twentieth century European history, to admirers of Mother Theresa (for Princess Ileana also gives her life to those in need), to those looking for inspiration from a modern-day saint who persevered through incredible adversity. I know I will be reading and listening to this book again - and sharing it with others!