"CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!"

Artwork by Niko Chocheli

This is the greeting that is happily proclaimed among Orthodox Christians on Christmas Day.  Not that there's anything wrong with "Merry Christmas!" - we exchange that greeting as well - but "CHRIST IS BORN!  GLORIFY HIM" just really says it all, as it carries in it the meaning of life for us as Christians.  And I can't think of two better books that "say it all" for December 24th and 25th, than these:

PREPARE O BETHLEHEM:  THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY, by Niko Chocheli. Luminously illustrated verses from Orthodox hymns of the prefeast and feast of the Nativity.  To read my past post about this artist and his books, click here.

THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD by Sister Elayne (now Mother Melania), illustrations by Bonnie Gillis.  Beautifully rendered watercolors accompany the poetic telling of the birth of Christ.  To read more about Mother Melania and her books, click here.  (Be watching for a post from me about all her books, coming soon!)

That's the end of my "40 Books for 40 Days" Advent Christmas book list.  I hope you liked it!   Have a Merry Christmas as we celebrate our Lord's Nativity...

What shall we offer You, O Christ, 

who for our sakes has appeared on earth

as a man?

Every creature made by You 

offers You thanks,

the angels offer You a hymn;

the heavens a star; the magi gifts;

The shepherds, their wonder; the earth

its cave;

the wilderness, the manger;

and we offer You a virgin mother.

O pre-eternal God, have mercy on us!

-THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

DECEMBER 25

VESPERS

A STYLISTIC RENDERING OF BIBLE STORIES

An up-and-coming children's book illustrator to take note of, for anyone interested in beautiful pictorial Bible storybooks, is Niko Chocheli. My previous blogpost focused on Bible Books by Brian Wildsmith. Like Wildsmith, Chocheli makes use of a rich palette of vibrant color. His lavish, but ethereal illustrations are even more precisely detailed and of a more classical style than Wildsmith's, resulting in renderings not only reminiscent of the Old Masters, but with a dramatic contrast of light and darkness - an obvious influence of the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine iconography from his native country, the Republic of Georgia.

Niko's illustrated books for children include:
PREPARE, O BETHLEMEM
A PERFECT CHRISTMAS
THE BOOK OF JONAH
THE PRAISES: PSALMS 148
CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
(Published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press)

To find out more about this artist, go to http://www.nikochocheli.com/.