by Phoebe Farag Mikhail

The Great Lent is the “springtime of spirituality,” but for those with younger children, figuring out how to engage them in the season can be a challenge, especially when they are too young to fast from food. This challenge can be a blessing in disguise, because it helps us to re-focus ourselves on the true purpose of Lent: to spend more time connecting with God, to love our neighbors, to pray more, and to practice self-control. So how do we explain these things to our children?

Enter the Great Lent Picture Book Guide! In 2020, I came across a Lent picture book guide created for a church with a different Lenten lectionary than mine. I liked the idea so much, I knew I had to create a guide focused specifically on the Coptic Orthodox Church’s Great Lent Lectionary for the Sunday Gospels. And so I spent over a year reading and collecting children’s picture books that connected with the themes of the Sunday Gospels. After publishing the first version in 2021, I continued to keep my eyes open for more options to add. I found children’s books that illustrated beautifully, through words and pictures, acts of mercy done in secret, the only way stones can turn into bread, or how terrible water scarcity can feel.

Each week’s section contains a summary and reference for the Sunday Gospel, and then a list of three or more books that can be read aloud with children alongside that Gospel reading for further connection and discussion. I’ve provided a summary of each book and how it connects to the theme (warning, there are spoilers to help you decide if this story is for your children, so read the books in advance if you don’t want spoilers!). I’ve also provided some suggested discussion questions to spark conversation.

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I have been sharing my own Lent reading list with you for several years now. Now I’m glad to be able to share this list for you to use with the children in your life. I look forward to your feedback, and if you are participating, I hope you are enjoying a blessed Lenten season.