The Old Testament Stories
About the "Old Testament Stores for Children" Series


Everywhere in the Old Testament, the Fathers of the Church see Christ, the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary), and the Church revealed.  The Fathers always understood the Old Testament in light of the New.  Moses in the basket is a "type" of baptism.  Jacob crossed his hands to bless Joseph's younger son (Ephraim) over his older son (Manesseh)--a prefiguring both of the Cross and of the surpassing of the Old Covenant by the New.

The series focuses first on key scriptures associated with Christ's Pascha--Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, Jonah and the Great Fish, the Three Holy Youths in the Furnace, etc.  Later, God willing, it will expand to include other well known and loved Old Testament stores.  Using simple verse and colorful, semi-iconographic illustrations that are both sweet and reverent, the series introduces children and their parents to the profound truths revealed in the pages of the Old Testament.  We hope that the readers will develop a thirst to meet Christ in the Scriptures that so richly reveal Him.

The Old Testament Stories for Children Series--BOOK(S)
Baby Moses, Second Edition
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991294
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Book 1 of The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

The story of Baby Moses from Exodus, told in rhyme:
O Christ, through water, Thou didst save/The infant Moses from the grave/That he might set his people free/From bitterness and slavery

The story of Moses is the story of God's deliverance of His people from slavery to the freedom of worshipping Him.  Hearkening to the cries of the Israelites, God preserves--through water--the infant Moses, who is later to lead Israel across the Red Sea into the Promised Land.  Both these passages are read at Theophany as prefigurings of baptism.  As God delivered Moses and Israel through water, similarly in baptism He delivers us from the bondage of sin and brings us into the freedom of worshipping Him

You can find the complete store of baby Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible,  in Exodus 1:1-2:10.  Chapter one explains how the Israelites came into Egyptian bondage and describes the rigors of their slavery.  The first half of chapter two tells the store of baby Moses.

For your FREE bonus offer, please see "Free Download(s)", below.

Preschool and up

 

Kindle Edition

Please click Baby Moses Kindle to order your copy today!

 



Jonah's Journey to the Deep, Second Edition
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991317
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Book 3 of The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

Christ referred to the story of Jonah when He prophesied His own death and Resurrection.  Just a Jonah spent three days in the belly of the great fish and then returned to the living, Jesus would spend three days in the belly of the earth and then rise from the dead.  The Church reads the entire Book of Jonah during the Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Saturday to emphasize this connection.  The story of Jonah also figures prominently in Orthodox hymnody, where we implore God to save us from the tempest of our sins as He saved Jonah from the watery deep.

In the Septuagint, the creature that swallowed Jonah is referred to as a ketos, which can mean "sea monster," "great fish," or "whale."  In biblical times, the distinctions between fish and sea mammals were not well understood.  The contemporary popular imagination tends to view this creature as a whale, but traditional iconography depicts the creature as a fish, and we have followed tha tradition in this book.

You can find the complete story of Jonah and the great fish in the Book of Jonah, Chapters 1 and 2.

For your FREE bonus offer, please see "Free Download(s)", below.

Preschool and up

 

Kindle Edition

Please click Jonah's Journey Kindle to order your copy today!

 



Moses and the Burning Bush
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991-01-0
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Book 5 of The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

The story of Moses is the story of God's deliverance of His people from slavery to the freedom of worshiping Him.  In particular, the Passover (Pascha) of Moses and the Israelites at the Red Sea is the focal point of the Old Covenant and a key scripture associated with Christ's Pascha and our baptism from the death of sin into the life in Christ.  The current story, Moses and the Burning Bush, was richly mined by the Fathers on many levels, but one of its key aspects is certainly the Burning Bush as a "type" of the Theotokos.  As the bush that "held" God burnt without being destroyed, so was the Theotokos unharmed by the fire of Christ's divinity when she bore Him and gave Him birth.

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Preschool and up


Kindle Edition

Please click Burning Bush Kindle to order your copy today!

 



Moses' Flight From Egypt, Second Edition
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991300
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Book 2 of The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

Despite growing up in Pharaoh's palace, Moses scorned his rank, never forgetting his own people and God.  Out of compassion for the oppressed Israelites, he slew the cruel Egyptian taskmaster and fled Egypt--humbly content and joyful to exchange palace life for the simple life of a shepherd.  During the forty years he spent in the desert, he contemplated God's creation and lived a righteous life.  Only then was he prepared to meet God in the burning bush and to perform the great work of deliverance that God was to accomplish through him.  Likewise, Christians must seek God in stillness and humility.  Only from that place of stillness before God can we truly serve God and our brother.

You can find the complete story of Moses' flight out of Egypt in the Old Testament of the Bible, in Exodus 2:11-22.

For your FREE bonus offer, please see "Free Download(s)", below.

Preschool and up

 

Kindle Edition

Please click Moses' Flight Kindle to order your copy today!

 



Noah and the Ark of Salvation, Second Edition
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991331
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Book 4 of The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

The story of Noah and the Ark told in simple verse -

By Noah's ark, Lord, Thou didst save
His fam'ly from a wat'ry grave.
And, baptized in Thy Church, are we
All saved from death to live in Thee.

Noah is a "type" as well as an ancestor of Christ.  His name means "to give rest," and our ultimate rest is in Christ.  Like Christ, Noah preached righteousness, was persecuted by those who would not repent, and saved those with him.  The ark in which Noah, his family, and the animals were preserved from the water of the Flood typifies the Church, in which we are saved through baptism in water.  The appearance of the dove is a foreshadowing of the coming of the Holy Spirit, who appeared in the form of a dove at Christ's Baptism and is received by each of the faithful in their own baptism.  Noah's faith saved not just his family, but the animals.  Likewise, through the children of God, the rest of creation—animals, plants, and inanimate things—will also be saved.  The Flood also foreshadows the Last Judgment, when once again the wicked will perish and the righteous will be saved, this time for eternity.

You can find the full story of Noah and the Ark in the Book of Genesis, chapters 6 through 9.

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Preschool and up

 

Kindle Edition

Please click Noah's Ark Kindle to order your copy today!

 



The Three Holy Youths in the Furnace
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991-02-7
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Book 6 of The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

The three holy youths are beloved examples of faithfulness unto death.  Yet their story contains deeper meaning than this.  The Fathers generally understood the "Angel of God" to be Christ Himself.  (Angel means messenger, and Christ is the very WORD of God.)  Thus, the firey furnace is an image of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), who contained the fire of the Godhead inside her and yet was unharmed.  Also, this passage prefigures Christ's Passion and Resurrection - He descends into the flames of Hades with us, preserves us unharmed, and leads us out into Eternal Life.  So, we read this passage on Great and Holy Saturday, as we await Christ's Resurrection and our own in Him.

For your FREE bonus offer, please see "Free Download(s)", below.

Preschool and up

 

Kindle Edition

Please click Three Holy Youths Kindle to order your copy today!

 



The Old Testament Stories for Children Series--FREE DOWNLOAD(S)
Free Offer
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Baby Moses: Worksheets
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991294
Tags:

 

The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

FREE BONUS OFFER: Companion work sheets and activity ideas, including teacher's key.  To obtain your FREE copy, please click Baby Moses Worksheets to download in pdf format.  Available as download only.

 

Free Download: $0.00
Free Offer
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Jonah's Journey to the Deep: Worksheets
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991317
Tags:

 

The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

FREE BONUS OFFER: Companion work sheets and activity ideas, including teacher's key.  To obtain your FREE copy, please click Jonah's Journey Worksheets to download in pdf format.  Available as download only.

 

Free Download: $0.00
Free Offer
image
Moses and the Burning Bush Worksheets
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991-01-0
Tags:

 

The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

FREE BONUS OFFER: Companion work sheets and activity ideas, including teacher's key.  To obtain your FREE copy, please click Moses & Burning Bush Worksheets to download in pdf format.  Available as download only.

 

Free Download: $0.00
Free Offer
image
Moses' Flight from Egypt: Worksheets
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991300
Tags:

 

The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

FREE BONUS OFFER: Companion work sheets and activity ideas, including teacher's key.  To obtain your FREE copy, please click Moses' Flight Worksheets to download in pdf format.  Available as download only.

 

Free Download: $0.00
Free Offer
image
Noah and the Ark of Salvation: Worksheets
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991331
Tags:

 

The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

FREE BONUS OFFER: Companion work sheets and activity ideas, including teacher's key.  To obtain your FREE copy, please click Moses' Flight Worksheets Noah's Ark Worksheets to download in pdf format.  Available as download only.

 

Free Download: $0.00
Free Offer
image
The Three Holy Youths in the Furnace: Worksheets
Mother Melania
ISBN 978-1-946991-02-7
Tags:


The Old Testament Stories for Children Series

FREE BONUS OFFER: Companion work sheets and activity ideas, including teacher's key.  To obtain your FREE copy, please click Three Holy Youths Worksheets to download in pdf format.  Available as download only. 

 

Free Download: $0.00
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