Bless Ye the Lord: Praise Song of the Three Holy Children

Here is the song of three children who are calling upon all of creation — the angels, heavenly bodies, seasons, waters, hills, plants, animals, birds, and men — to exalt and glorify the Lord: “Bless ye the Lord; praise Him, and magnify Him forever …” Their lyrical song of praise and gratitude — reminiscent of St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Sun” — appears in the Book of Daniel in the oldest versions of the Christian Bible, and in the Apocrypha of later editions. Their Hebrew names were Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, and they were also known by their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Radiant illustrations by artist Frances Tyrrell show scenes of their idyllic childhood days, when the three children were free to explore the hills, fields, and streams of their homeland.

In addition to the glowing and reverently peace-inspiring paintings, Ms. Tyrrell has included two more wonderfully illustrated pages at the end of the book, titled “Birds and Butterflies of the Holy Land” and “Beasts and Cattle of the Holy Land.” These pages will support further discussion and learning for small children. The book concludes with a page explaining the origin of the Song from which the text is drawn and some interesting notes from the illustrator about the paintings in the book.

Frances Tyrrell is an artist who creates finely detailed and imaginative illustrations for children’s books and licensed products. A lover of the magical world of illustrated books since childhood, Frances now takes great pleasure in creating beautiful books for today’s children. Her works Huron Carol and Woodland Christmas have been shortlisted for the Governor-General’s Award for Illustration, while her original watercolors are to be found in private and public collections around the world. Her most recent title is the environmental fable The Generous Fish (with Jacqueline Jules). Frances lives and works in Burlington, Canada. Find her at: http://www.francestyrrell.com.