Least of All

Title: Least of All
Author: Carol Purdy
Major Themes: Farm Life, Reading
Synopsis: Raven Hannah is too little to do most jobs, but she discovers a secret skill!

Least of All is a lovely little picture book. We had had it for awhile, but I never read it to my little boys until yesterday. What a delightful surprise! I had no idea what it was about.

When Raven Hannah was born, Papa wanted to name her Raven for her beautiful black hair, but Grandmama wanted her named Hannah because that was in the Bible. They compromised with both names! As Raven Hannah grew up, she wanted to help, but was too small to do much. Finally, however, she discovered a job she could do, and then she discovered that she could teach herself a new skill. She learned to read, even though no one in the family could!

This story, besides being a lovely reminder that everyone in a family is needed and can be useful, sparked some discussion about whether it is possible to teach yourself to read like Raven Hannah did. I felt like it offered some encouragement, in this family with reading problems.

No warnings!