I read a book this week to my two youngest children (ages 6 and 9) with illustrations that took my breath away. Even with the limitations of blogs when it comes to sharing art, I wanted to share some of it with you.
I found the illustrations in the book Cupid and Psyche by M. Charlotte Craft and illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft. Here’s an example of one of them, used at the end of the story when Jupiter, father of all (Greek) gods summons Psyche before the entire heavenly assembly because he’s so thrilled Cupid’s been caught in love by his own mischief.
Page after page is filled with these incredible illustrations. My son and daughter both responded with wide-eyed wonder each time I showed them a picture, stopping their play and holding their breaths. That is the response I’m looking for as I seek to educate them in objective beauty.
Some people question why our family spends so much time educating the children with myths, fantasy, and fairy tales. Isn’t this counteractive to our Christian faith? Not at all. In fact, it is BECAUSE of my Christian faith that we spend time, for example, on the Greek gods and the culture of that day.
As the children grow, they will better understand the world Jesus was born into, what came before him and what came after. They will understand the philosophies, cultures, and other leaders in history’s entire context and why Jesus was so radical. But for now, I read them stories from different cultures and philosophies to expose them to the best these cultures had to offer. I do this because I believe that all truth is God’s truth and all beauty is God’s beauty. And it’s true that the Greeks knew how to tell and paint beautiful stories. In my opinion, K. Y. Craft’s illustration demonstrate this beauty well.
This is the season for my two youngest children, especially, where I believe FEEDING their imaginations with story and beauty in the context of history is critical to their mental development. It’s one of the reasons we school them at home, so we have plenty of time for it.
What does this have to do with tea? Nothing. The Ancient Greeks didn’t know the Ancient Chinese were hiding this great secret and drank lots of wine instead. But I share it with you because part of my mission at Tea Party Girl is to help you open your life more and more to beauty. (And now maybe the Christians and the home-schoolers will let me in their carnivals, heheh). Along with tea and other things, Cupid and Psyche helped our family do that this week.
Do you agree or disagree with our philosophy of beauty? Do you see value in a Christian family exposing their children to other cultures’ myths, stories, and philosophies? Why or why not? Please feel free to share your opinion in the comments. And if your family does read the stories of the Greek gods, be sure to add this book to your library.
Wow, this is such a beautiful picture! Thanks for posting it.
Madame Monet
Amen. And this looks like a beautiful book. SInce we’re studying the ancient world this year, and since we just started our study of the Greeks, I must find a copy of this book soon.
Hove you ever read C.S. Lewis’s version of this myth, Till We Have Faces? Wonderful, as in full of wonder.
My parents also believed in exposing us to different philosophies and myths, believing that in order for one to make up thier own minds (which we all have to do someday as we grow), they must have all the knowledge they could to make an informed decision. The major benefit for us was a well-rounded education still centered on christian principles, and one that allows us still today to hold our own with the best of those around us in debates on those very subjects, while appreciating all of the beauty and knowledge that can be gleaned from those ancient cultures.
Kudos to you for exposing these to your kids now…they’ll thank you for it when they’re older (and I’m sure they’re enjoying it now as well).
I have yet to read C.S. Lewis’ version, Sherry, thanks for the tip.
Great to hear from you, Jamie. Thanks for your thoughts.
I agree with your philosophy of beauty, and that all Truth is God’s truth, and all true beauty also is of God. I think it’s *very* important, historically, for children (and adults!) to understand what else was going on in the world during the biblical timeline. Bible times didn’t happen in a vacuum, but unfortunately that’s how I was taught as a child; like biblical history took place in some parallel universe.
Great post!
That image is breathtaking!
I think that everyone can benefit from being exposed to different religions, cultures, and myths. It is important to let our kids see the whole world and it’s past. Even if we disagree with that past.
Beautiful picture and I agree on the fairy tales and the Christian faith. It is important to understand the culture Jesus was born into, the culture surrounding the Church and its history and our current culture.
I am a homeschooler, too. That is partly how I became involved in reviewing books. Thank you for bringing this book to my attention. I agree about teaching the whole context of history. I went to a university that based a great deal of their curriculum on Greek and Rome specifically because some of the brilliant ideas that our society is based on came from them. Truths should not ever be ignored because of the person or people speaking them. Listening to all Truths is how you remain open-minded enough to decide anything.
Depends on how the exposure is done I suppose and the reasoning behind it.
Wow! You’ve given me a whole new perspective on fantasy and mythology. I’ve never particularly liked the genre and have pretty much avoided it with my children. Thank you for making me look at it a different way.
Anyone who doubts the value of myth out to read Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick. The beauty is how much truth made its way into myth and how shallow the Greek gods are in comparison to Jesus. In his atheistic days, C. S. Lewis did not see the beauty in Christ’s death. When he started to become a believer, his memory of how much the death of Baldur (a dying Norse god) touched him and how the truth of Christ’s death had made its way into myth.