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We all deal with times of sadness and grief. Long, dark winters, both physical and metaphorical, can take a toll on our mind and emotions. Little Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellist is a beautiful story that helps little ones navigate these hard seasons and see the light that shines ahead.
What is it?
Little Mole lives underground with his Mama, and is dealing with some feelings of sadness. He doesn’t know why or what to do, but he is in a dark place. So mama takes him for a little walk to find hope. On their walk we see that hope looks like bulbs buried in the dirt that will soon grow and bloom into daffodils. Hope feels like the first blossoms of spring as sleepy trees awake. Hope is the joy found when we remember that winter always comes to an end, and spring is on the horizon. Using symbols in the natural world, this book gently guides young readers to look for the evidence of hope in their own lives.
What I Love
Up here in Minnesota, winters can be long and grueling. My March I can for sure empathize with Little Mole: a little sad, and ready for winter to be over. So to be honest, this book spoke just as much to me as it did to my littles. A sweet reminder that Spring is on the way! Though this book deals with looking for physical signs of hope, the principles can easily be applied to our spiritual well being. When we are in a bought of depression, or experiencing loss and grief where can we find hope? An easy “church answer” would be ‘in Jesus.’ But what does that look like? Where do we see the hope of Christ manifested in our lives? I love that this book doesn’t offer a feel-good band-aid answer, but helps little ones build the skill of finding and naming the hope in their lives. Whether that be spotting a butterfly chrysalis among the frost, or recognizing the friendships surrounding us during our dark seasons. Where and how are we seeing the faithfulness of Christ in our lives? That’s the hope. We can still see his goodness through the storm.
What My Littles Love
My littles love any book with beautiful illustrations, and Sally Garland has done a fantastic job with this book. Her bio in the back of the books shares she has found inspiration from vintage 1950s and 1960s picture books. I can totally feel this within the pages of Little Mole, and it is magical!
Recommended Uses
Whether it be the loss of a family member, or a beloved pet, grief is a hard emotion to manage for most adults, and even harder for little ones. Little Mole Finds Hope would make a beautiful gift for any child who is navigating grief and loss. This book would also be a great tool for grief counselors in both Christian and secular settings. Though Glenys is known for her Christian picture books, this book doesn’t necesarily highlight scripture or the Gospel. This may be a turn-off for some. But I find that it makes this tool more versatile, making it useful for a variety of settings as opposed to just faith-based.
Baby Devotions 