We are big fans of St. Thérèse in our house. She was my Confirmation saint (and the inspiration for the name of this blog!), and I’ve been reading and talking about her to my three-year-old daughter for her whole life. We have pictures and small statues of her in our house, plus one at our parish (and she now has a Shining Light Thérèse doll), so she also knows what she looks like (and that she always carries roses). We love the Tiny Saints book about her (I Am Little, Too), and we got a new board book, The Little Flower: A Spring Stroll, for my baby daughter for Christmas.
Is there such a thing as too much Thérèse? Definitely not. I grow closer to her mother, Zélie, every day. I pray daily for the canonization of her sister, Léonie (whose cause is open). And, I continue to look for ways to expose my girls to her beautiful spirituality. It’s perfect for children, because it’s simple, but as they get older, they will (hopefully) explore its depth more and more.
Lindsay Schlegel’s new book, God’s Little Flowers, is a beautiful introduction to that spirituality. It’s perfect for elementary-aged children, but my 3.5-year-old enjoyed the illustrations, the flowers, and the note at the end about Thérèse (though she didn’t understand most of it). The book follows a young girl during one afternoon as her mother teaches her that God made her exquisite in her own unrepeatable way, and that just like the botanical garden they visit needs a variety of flowers to be beautiful, so does God’s kingdom.
It’s hard to write a children’s book like this one and make it sound natural, realistic, and not preachy—but Schlegel nailed it. The illustrations, by Joy Laforme, are delightfully childlike without being infantilizing. I received God’s Little Flowers as a PDF to read in advance of its launch on Feb. 3 but plan on purchasing a copy for our family to read for years to come.
Where to Purchase:
Plus, don’t miss the free activity pages available on Schlegel’s website.
Taryn DeLong 