I am so very embarrassed at the lateness of posting this post.  My apologies, dear Kelly

On May 27^th, I hosted a launch party for the delightful book written by Kelly Lardin,  “Josiah and Julia Go to Church.”  This board book is a “Goofus and Gallant*”style comparison between two young children who attend an Orthodox Liturgy.  Although, delightfully, instead of one being Goofus and one being Gallant, they trade off.  As a parent, who can’t relate?  They go through getting dressed, entering the church, behaving during the Liturgy, receiving Communion, and meeting the priest afterwards.

I followed Kelly’s proposed template for the Launch Party and my priest was wonderful and offered our parish hall for us to use.  As the kids entered, we handed out coloring sheets of the two main characters.  I had no idea how popular this activity would be – it honestly took up the bulk of the party, and was enjoyed by adults as well.  Here’s one of the attendee’s coloring – didn’t he do a good job?

After we finished (or paused) coloring, we read the book out loud.  The kids were active and engaged in the storyline, and related to the main characters.  As they enjoyed cupcakes provided by one of the moms in our parish, a drawing was held for the copy of the book.**  The winner was one of my Goddaughter’s children.  She has since told me that her 3 year old son loves to have the book read to him, and that on the way to church (they have a very long drive) he likes to hear the story.  I can vouch that his behavior is exemplary, and it’s not just because I’m his Godmother.

Thanks, Kelly! I highly recommend the book for the Orthodox preschoolers in your life.

*thank you, Matushka Anna, for this description. It is perfect. 

**FTC disclaimer – I received a free copy from Conciliar Press to facilitate hosting the Launch Party.