A must read for every family

books:


	• From I-ville to You-ville: The Timeless Wisdom of Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain for Children and Adults Mersine Vigopoulou Uncut Mountain Press, 2007 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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A must read for every family

If this book were published by a major publishing house, it would be a New York Times best seller. This book is a must read for all families with young children regardless of your faith or tradition. The engaging story follows the spirtual journey of stuborn who comes from the town of I-ville where the motto of the townspeople and of their queen, Queen Conceit, is "me first, me first." He has a chance meeting with a young girl, Serenity, who comes from a different place called you-ville. This chance meeting affects stuborn deeply, and he is amazed that during their inital brief encounter she spent time listening to him and did not talk about herself or how wonderful she is.
He sets out to discover this mysterious place and gets advice along the way from an old man living in a cave (representing the Elder Pasios, a much beloved modern day monk from Mount Athos whose spiritual teachings form the basis for this book). The journey is not an easy one as it requires Stuborn to shrink his ego and fight against bad and selfhish thoughts.
As a father of two young children, the lessons here for everyday life are enormous and there are teaching points from each of the wonderfully written chapters. Children are naturually drawn to characters such as Serenity, Humility, Magnanimous, Mr. and Mrs. Kindness; and against the old stuborn and Queen Conceit. I can now point out to them when they are behaving like Stuborn or like someone from I-ville and the point really hits home.
What else can I say, I loved this book. It is great for the under 10 crowd and for adults (in fact on a recent visit I made to an Orthodox Monastery, the monks had just finished reading it as a group). Most teenagers will probably find the story too childish and the deeper message difficult to grasp, but perhaps I sell them short. Do not hesitate, get this book for your family.
If you have trouble finding it here, go to the publisher's website at [...] and order it there.

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Great Family Read

The other two reviews have done a good job of summarizing the book. I would like to add that our whole family enjoyed this book. This book can be given to any Christian denomination, but has very sound Orthodox teachings. The book is best for those who are five and up. The illustrations in the book are nice. The best thing I can say about the book is that my oldest daughter, who will be eight soon, has been a lot more helpful, nice, and caring towards her sisters. Now THAT'S a GOOD BOOK!

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Delightful!

Truly great children's literature isn't just for children. How many of us relish Tolkien's The Hobbit or Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia? Well, now there's a new, fresh children's story out there for us, and I can sum it up in one word: "delightful." An allegory in the tradition of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Mersine Vigopoulou's From I-ville to You-ville enchants as much as it edifies.

I-ville is a Kingdom ruled by the goddess Conceit, a place where people live by the motto "Me first!" You-ville is a Kingdom ruled by Humility, a place where people put the good of others before their own. This story follows a young boy from I-ville named Stubborn on his journey as he struggles to make the arduous trek to the beautiful, joy-filled You-ville.

In the course of his adventures, Stubborn learns profound lessons in how to conquer bad thoughts and feelings. He learns how to shrink his ego, forgive himself and others, and put others first. He also learns how to pray to and trust in the one true God.

While written by an Orthodox author and based on the teachings of Elder Paisios of Mount Athos, the book will still appeal to Christians of other stripes. In fact, because it isn't even explicitly Christian, it will appeal to folks of almost every major religion. Young or old, we all must take the journey from I-ville to You-ville, and this story is filled with the profound spiritual truths we need to embrace in order to succeed. It's the best-selling Orthodox children's book in Greece, now in its fifth printing, and finally made available in English.

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From I-ville to You-ville, the well-known, best selling Orthodox Christian childrens book of Greece, presently in its eighth printing, is now available in English. This is Christian allegory reminiscent of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. The unique and wise counsel of Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain is presented in a way that is perfect for children and adults alike. In every turn and twist of this adventure of a young man making his way from his home of I-ville to the unknown, but longed-for, kingdom of You-ville the author masterfully weaves the wisdom of the elder into the fabric of the story, constructing a seamless garment of beauty, charm and enlightenment. I-ville - a Kingdom where pride and selfishness dwell, and where people live by the motto Me first! You-ville - a Kingdom where humility and kindness have their home, and where people put the good of others before their own. This is the story of a young boy named Stubborn, as he strives to become the first person of I-ville to make the difficult journey to the beautiful, joy-filled Kingdom of You-ville, and to become a citizen there. As we join Stubborn in his adventures, we learn, along with him, profound lessons in how to struggle against bad thoughts and feelings. The journey of young Stubborn is one that all of us - old and young - must take, and which all of us can accomplish - if only we shrink our I and put You first! The author, Mersine Vigopoulou resides in Souroti (Thessaloniki, Greece). She is also the author of several of other acclaimed childrens books, including the forthcoming Lady Tradition and Orthodoxy. The English edition has all-new full-color illustrations by Emani Heers.

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