Children’s book urges girls to use unique gifts to serve others

Whether editing manuscripts for freelance clients or reading to her five children, Lindsay Schlegel has spent much of the last 15 years with children’s picture books in hand. Today, Schlegel is the one with her name on the cover because of the Feb. 3 publication of her first children’s book, God’s Little Flowers.

Schlegel, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, authored the picture book, which expands a quote from St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s autobiography, Story of a Soul, into a narrative for children. The saint wrote, “The brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtide beauty.”

In the book, young Gemma is distressed about what she believes to be her lack of talents. It seems she is the only one of her friends without a special gift. Rather than giving a lecture, her mother has the wisdom to take Gemma and her sisters to the botanical garden, where a walk through the flowers shows Gemma how and why God creates people with all kinds of gifts to be used for his glory.

“This message is essential to girls growing up in a culture that teaches them to compare themselves to others rather than to use their unique gifts to be of service,” Schlegel said.

God’s Little Flowers includes a child-friendly biography of St. Thérèse and a note for adults that leans on the teachings of three recent popes.

Schlegel also authored two books for adults: Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God and, with Keaton Douglas, The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction. The Road to Hope won second place in its category at the 2024 Catholic Media Association Book Awards.

God’s Little Flowers costs $18.95 and is available at osvcatholicbookstore.com and wherever Catholic books are sold.

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