Charlotte’s Blog
The Zero Dads Club: A Father’s Day story for kids without dads
Father’s Day can be hard for children who don’t have a father. At school, there may be crafts and projects celebrating fathers. And those are wonderful! But not for the children who feel left out. If the teacher’s plan doesn’t include the kids who don’t have a dad,...
When Charley Met Emma: A social story about disability
It took me a while to figure out why I like When Charley Met Emma so much. At first glance, it’s everything I don’t like in a picture book. But I love it! Seriously. It’s a delightful book. It took me a long while to figure out why it’s so delightful. Let’s start with...
The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree: A picture book about deafness
I’ll start with a disclaimer: I love Angeliki Pedersen, author of The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree. We attend the same parish, and I think I must have met her the first time we visited here. She’s the kind of person that reaches out to strangers at coffee hour...
Easter picture books for a child’s Lenten journey
Pascha is coming! And before Pascha, there will be Lent. So you're planning meals to use up the meat and cheese in your refrigerator. You're stocking up on tofu and beans. You're looking forward to the longer services and Lenten melodies. All of these things are gifts...
When Jesus was the guest of Zacchaeus the Publican
Little children often learn a song about Zacchaeus. You might remember it. It starts like this: Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see. And maybe it’s because so many of us sang...
Home: A picture book built with love and dreams
If your kids like the I Spy books, or Where’s Waldo, they are going to love Carson Ellis’s Home. If anything, Home is more interesting and more intriguing than any of the other books in the “can you find it” genre, because Ellis doesn’t tell you what’s going on in the...
Honey bunnies
Honey bunnies are the sweet, sticky, bunny-shaped rolls that Catherine’s mom makes every year at Pascha. As Catherine says, “They are the best!” Honey bunnies You can use this recipe to make between 8 and 32 bunny-shaped rolls, depending on how you shape them....
Anastasis icon of the Resurrection
Explanation and icon by iconographer Randi Maria Sider-Rose The icon called Anastasis (ah-NAH-sta-sis), or The Resurrection, is a symbolic depiction of Christ’s descent into Hades in order to redeem humanity. He is grasping the hands of Adam and (usually) Eve, who...
Paska and kulich
Paska, or pascha, is a sweet spread made with cheese and eggs. You eat it with kulich, which is a sweet, rich Easter bread. Depending on where you're from, kulich might also be called paska, and paska (the cheese kind) might go by other names as well. Whatever they're...
Cheese and sausage balls
Cheese is traditional in a Pascha basket. So is pork sausage. So I decided, many years ago, that cheese and sausage balls would go in my Pascha basket every year. I'd make a big batch, leave a small bowl of them at home for us to have with breakfast on Pascha morning,...
Peeps in marshmallow nests
Peeps in marshmallow nests are adorable. And they are so easy and fun to make, you can have your little ones help you make them. You can make these treats dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free if you're careful about the brands of the ingredients you use. Rice...
Calculating the date of Pascha
Pascha is celebrated on a different date every year. And most years, Easter and Pascha are celebrated on different days, even though they both celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ. Often, people want to know why Pascha is when it is, and why Pascha and...
THE MAGIC OF BOOKS
Share the joy of the Pascha through the magic of a book: Catherine's Pascha.
