Have you ever had fun reading a prayer book? Well, you will now. My newest book, Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message, pairs passages from some of our favorite fairy tales (Emperor’s New Clothes, Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, and The Steadfast Tin Soldier) with Scripture. It’s an unusual way to pray but one that will get you thinking.
Fifty passages are taken from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales and paired with 50 passages from The Message, a version of the Bible that uses contemporary language. For example, an excerpt from The Ugly Duckling is on the left hand page and a verse from the biblical Book of Job is on the right. The Message literally illuminates the literary passage.
Hans Christian Andersen was one of my favorite childhood authors. My mother read his stories to us from her own childhood book dating back to 1936. The pages were so well-worn and old, they disintegrated in my hands as I compiled this new prayer book.
The credit for the ingenious concept of raising spirituality through literature in this way goes to publisher, Greg Pierce, at ACTA Publications. Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message is one in a series called Literary Portals to Prayer that also includes, Elizabeth Gaskel (North and South, Wives and Daughters), William Shakespeare (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth), and Herman Melville (Moby Dick, Typee, Billy Budd). Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austin also will be out soon.
Books are available in a standard paperback size and also an Enhanced-Size with large print for public readings and display.
You won’t want to put these books down before reading cover-to-cover, and you’ll go back to them again and again, finding new inspiration each time. Literary Portals to Prayer are excellent choices for Christmas gifts and to snuggle up with on chilly nights.
You can order Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message, or the other titles in the series, through ACTA Publications, Amazon, or your local bookstore.
©2015, Mary K. Doyle
Midwest Mary 