A monk’s meal with picture books is a simple way to celebrate Lent with your children.
The town I lived in during my teens had a monastery connected to a Catholic university. Frequently after school I would see a monk riding his skateboard down the sidewalk on his way to teach a class. I think of that group fondly every time monks come up in conversation.
Which, if I’m being honest, as an Evangelical now living in the mid-west, monks don’t come up in conversation all that often!
However, we do talk about monks a little more in our home in the spring because to kick off Lent we have a Monk’s Meal.
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How to Have a Monk’s Meal to Celebrate Lent
A Monk’s Meal is a simple dinner ushering in a season of remembering Jesus.
I had never heard of it until a friend in my book club introduced me to the concept, and now we’re hooked.
The prep for it is easy – you want to eat simply, like a monk would have! Candlelight, limited silverware, food served on a wooden cutting board, or burlap on the table all help set the mood.
For the menu, I serve crusty bread with butter, cheese, applesauce, and salami. (Now that I’ve typed it out, I’m realizing we eat a grown-up version of a Lunchable…) I think that seems like a very medieval or monk-ish. You could really eat anything, though.
During the meal we talk about Lent, and serving God with our lives, and we read a few picture books about monks.
Sounds pretty easy, right? Not so fast, friend!
Here’s the kicker of Monk’s Meal: you can’t ask for anything or help yourself to anything.
That’s right. You only get something to eat when a family member at the table offers you some and serves you.
Getting a little low on applesauce on your plate? Tough. You can’t ask for any. You can’t scoop yourself any.
You have to wait until someone says, “Say, may I serve you more applesauce?”
It is really fun for the kids. And it is fun for the adults to listen to the kids try to get someone to offer to serve them! They think they’re so sneaky when they say things like, “Wow, I would eat some cheese cubes now if I had any.”
Bringing Books to the Table
As an Evangelical Christian, not a lot of the picture books in our church library feature monks. And by “not a lot,” I mean “none.”
It can also be difficult to find picture books that depict monks as they historically were and are now, without bringing in the aspects of the Catholic church that we do not agree with. However, I have found some excellent picture books about monks to incorporate into our meal time in order to demonstrate for my kids what a monk is. (Because, let’s face it, they’ve never seen one.)
The reason this is not a long list is because I personally will not read any books to my kids that talk about Catholic saints in any sort of supernatural way, or describes the miracles the Catholic church attributes to the saints. That’s a personal choice, but it eliminates a lot of picture books about important monks because they were later sainted.
I also avoid any picture books that have any sort of hint of Mary, Jesus’ mother, as perfect, divine, or anything like that.
Finally, I only included traditional Christian monks. If you google, “picture books about monks” the vast majority of options are about Buddhist monks. Since Buddhist’s don’t celebrate Lent, none of those books made this list. (Should not surprise you…)
So, even though this is a short list, know that every book on it gives a child a good picture of what a monk is, but also allows my Baptist-raised-self to sleep easy at night!
Related: Another special meal in our home is the Shepherd’s Meal at Christmas. Check out a book list and information about a Shepherd’s Meal HERE.
If you click on the book title it will take you to the Amazon page to purchase the book. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It does not cost you extra to purchase through my links.
Picture Books about Monks for Evangelicals
The Monks’ Stormy Night by Sylvia Dorham
The modern monks in this sweet book have all sorts of trials at the monastery during a big storm. It has sweet prose, and simple pictures. You might have to explain to your kids what it means when the monks refer to each other as, “Brother.” Overall, this is a sweet tale of trusting God and working hard.
The Monks’ Daily Bread by Sylvia Dorham
Another tale of modern day monks relying on God for their sustenance. Also, notice that the monks have a variety of skin tones, which is great! This picture book about monks gives a picture of what a life lived in devotion to God can look like.
The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart
The White Cat and the Monk is a retelling of an Irish poem about a scholarly monk and his cat. It talks about the monk finding “the light,” but makes no mention of any faith tradition. The pictures are wonderful, and several pages have no words.
The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane by C. M. Millen
This is certainly the most historical book on this list. In The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane, a young monk named Theophane creates beautiful colors from the plants he grows. These colors are used in the wonderful illuminations the monks make as they copy the sacred texts. Again, very little faith context, but a celebration of Scripture. Brother Theophane was not a real person in history, but the story represents the tradition of monks copying ancient texts.
