You know you have made a great book selection when it starts with a verse or, in this case, a beautiful prayer. Right away the young readers see, “O Shepherd of all the flock of God, watch over thy lambs and feed them; For Thou alone, through the rugged paths, in the way of life can lead them”. You will find multiple times where something like starts a new section of the story.

Mary (the main character) is growing up in an extremely faith-focused family environment (God, may this be true of everyone who reads this! Please help us). They faithfully attend church. They pray together. At one point they see even sickness in light of God’s love and care, bringing up their many blessings. Later Mary makes a mistake and Mom uses it as a chance to correct and guide lovingly. The dynamic between the parents and between parent and child are so refreshing compared to the majority of secular books being produced today. One of our favorite parts comes when the parents start to feel fear of Mary being gone longer than expected, only to come to the conclusion that “Mary’s out on a good errand (seeking to read the Neighbor’s Bible) and he who put the love of good things in her heart will take care of her going out and coming in, from henceforth, even forevermore” (Mary reflects the same sentiment when she returns).

Mary’s faith is the primary focus of the book (what a great example to kiddos who will read this!). She is only 8-years-old and already loves God’s word in a way that will challenge even the most committed adult. We are told she sits for hours listening to portions of the Bible being recited from memory. The story revolves around her deep desire to know more, but being limited to her parent’s limited knowledge due to not having a Bible (this is set during a time when Bibles are expensive and rare). As the story progresses, we see her singing and repeating Psalms that she has memorized while helping her mother. She sends up a beautiful prayer, focusing on God’s ability to answer (before it is even answered she is already turning attention towards helping others once God moves). We even see her heart in little things, like sharing her meager lunch with a child who has nothing and staying behind to help another with work they must finish before going home for the day.

This is a story that can be life-changing… truly challenging us who now have completely unhindered access to this incredible Word of God. How easy it is for us to forget what a privilege we have. At one point we see Mary walking 2-miles each way every Saturday (her free time) to read from a wealthy neighbor’s Bible. She saves small savings for 6-years for a chance to attain her own copy. How amazing that it is based on a true story! We don’t say this often, but we feel every child should read this short story.

We usually have to chronicle the concerning content, but thankfully with very Christian focused books we get the chance to do the same for the positive, faith-building content. Here are a few more nuggets we found excellent.

Man is referred to as the “tenants of God’s earth”.

A reference is made to the Tree of Life, the Word being a lamp to your feet

Hard work by a child is held in a very positive light.

Sacrificial love is shown between the parents and Mary.

Kind neighbors, strong Christians, play a great part in Mary’s story as well.