Catie's Secret

by Laura Allen Nonemaker

4.0 out of 5 stars Good learning tool for young children

Description

Catie Caterpillar looks different from any bug Herbie and Bella have ever seen. When Herbie makes fun of Catie, Mayor Benny shows him why he should not judge anyone by how they look. In the end, Catie reveals a secret and the bunnies learn the joy of forgiveness.

Catie's Secret is the third book in Laura Allen Nonemaker's children's series, God's Secret Garden Adventures. Like the two previous books, Benny's Angel and Fred D's Amazing Escape, Catie's Secret invites young readers to join an exciting adventure while it teaches a valuable lesson.

This book can be purchased at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com  $10.44 (prime)

https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-62510-123-5 $10.99

Biography

Laura began writing as a child in Bermuda when a favorite teacher had one of her essays published in a local newspaper. She is a contributing writer for Kentucky Monthly Magazine and her first children’s book, Benny’s Angel, was published in 2011. She is on the planning team for Artful Missions, which produces juried art shows and donates most of the proceeds to ministries that help women and children escape human trafficking. When Laura is not dreaming up her next God’s Garden adventure, she enjoys spending time with her large family.

Connect with Laura at: 

Website: http://godsgarden.tateauthor.com

Facebook: Laura Allen Nonemaker 

Twitter: @DigInGodsGarden 

Linkedin: Laura Nonemaker 

Blog: www.diggingingodsgarden.com

My Review ~

This is a story of two little bunnies, Herbie and Bella, who traipsed toward the clover in Peaceful Meadow. A beautiful butterfly landed on some morning glories, sipping at the nectar before it flew away. They began a game of hide and seek when Herbie discovered a yellow and black bug eating a leaf. She introduced herself as Catie, a caterpillar, and continued eating leaves. Herbie made some unkind remarks to Catie about her appearance. Herbie's Uncle Benny heard the commotion and scolded him, explaining that beautiful secrets lay within things that may appear different on the outside. Herbie felt badly that he had teased the caterpillar and thought he should apologize, but Catie was already gone. Days went by and the bunnies were unable to find Catie. One day they discovered a little sack hanging from a twig, and as the sack burst open a butterfly emerged. It gently touched Herbie's nose as it flitted away, and Bella pointed out that the butterfly's face looked just like Catie. Was the touch to Herbie's nose the touch of forgiveness?

This story of two little bunnies and a caterpillar portrays differences in appearance. One of the bunnies said cruel things to the caterpillar, pointing out she was a yucky color and a creepy bug, and weird. The other bunny begged him to stop being cruel. Their uncle pointed out that although there are differences in appearance, beautiful secrets lived within. Important lessons about diversity can be easily learned from this story through humility, remorse, and the need to apologize in order to receive forgiveness. This is a sweet little book with colorful illustrations. There is a page of story challenge questions to ponder at the end of the book, and a page of butterfly facts. This is a great learning tool for young children. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.