Child of Light The Greek Orthodox Baptism Book
Child of Light: The Greek Orthodox Baptism Book by Jamie Jameson, illustrated by Pat Kaufman is formatted as a traditional hardcover children s picture book. Following the look and feel of a picture book, the pages are slick and of good quality, and contain only information about baptism that is basic and essential. Just like a children's book, it can be read in full in ten or so minutes, and each page spread is accompanied by colorful illustrations that help tell the story of baptism. This is not a children s book, however. It s not a book to be purchased and given and read to a child. This is a gift book for a parent or a godparent, written with the purpose to teach about the sacrament of baptism and allow the book to be used as a chronicle or scrapbook of that special and important event in the life of a little one. One of the things I love most about children s books, is that the writer has to fully know the subject matter in able to distill and present the ideas to its readers in a clear and concise way. It s obvious that though the text is plain and brief, the author went to great pains to get each word and idea correct. Over the course of only a few pages, the author describes all the various elements of baptism from the priest s prayer to the prayer the godparent says to the mother when the baptized child is returned after the ceremony. As I said earlier, Child of Light has a dual purpose. It s a record book one in which you write in the various little details you d like to record on the special day of a baby s baptism such as chronicling the name of the child, the priest who was presiding, the church where the baptism took place, and the names of those who attended. There are also places designated for photos, and the baptismal invitation, and several blank pages in the back where one can record memories of the day. The second purpose is simply to inform parents and godparents of the theology of baptism. For example, the reader learns of the priest s prayer before the service, the rite of the catechumen and its purpose, then the reader turns the page and learns of the Entrance into Light. The book reads: Baptism is entry into the Church. When a child is baptized and chrismated all sin is washed away and the child illlumined with the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. On the next page there is a stylized illustration of a baptismal font, standing in front of the table that holds some of the necessities of the service holy oil, candles, etc. Under this illustration there is more text, which reads: Symbolically, the baptismal font is the Divine Womb where the child receives second birth. Descent into the font symbolizes burial, emergence and resurrection. The illustrations are stylized and unique, lending an artistic, mixed-medium flare to the brief explanations. I suppose my only criticism is the subtitle, which is: The Greek Orthodox Baptism Book. There are very few reasons why only Greeks should be using a book of this sort baptism ceremonies are similar across all Orthodox jurisdictions and I think it d be a shame for some Orthodox not to purchase this book simply because of the title. The book is expensive, at $35 a copy, reflecting the very real costs of printing hardback, four-color picture books today. But I m a fan of this genre, and would urge you to consider a book of this sort next time you re looking for a shower gift or as a godparent who would like to honor the family of the baby to be baptized. --Jane G. Meyer, Ancient Faith radio