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Children's reading lists

15 of the best children’s books about love

Small Miracles

With gentle humour, and surprising twists and turns, this is just the book we need in these difficult times. I didn't want it to end.

Charming, witty and warm, Small Miracles is a gentle gem of a novel, a cheery balm in troubling times

AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird

Heart-warming and quirky, with a cast of lovable characters...Just wonderful. I loved it.

Charming, witty and intricately plotted...celebrates the uplifting power of love

What a joy! Small Miracles is warm, compassionate, and sees the good in everyone. I loved it, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to be reminded of what a kind place the world can be.

I want to be in the kitchen with Sister Bridget cooking up a storm! We should all learn to follow our hearts and find what we love, and be thankful for those we love. This book is a joyful celebration of love.

A warm hug of a book: gently funny, compassionate and kind. Exactly what we're all craving right now.

I didn't want this book to end. Full of small everyday miracles and big love.

Anne Booth has had all sorts of jobs, including washing up in a restaurant, working as a tour guide in a haunted almshouse, bookselling, teaching English in Italy, lecturing at university and being a long-term carer for her elderly parents. She has published 25 children's books and Small Miracles is her first novel for adults. All her childhood and teenage years she wanted to be a nun, and although she has ended up happily married with four children, she still feels inspired by the many kind nuns and religious Sisters she has met.

'Charming, witty and warm, Small Miracles is a gentle gem of a novel, a cheery balm in troubling times.' AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird 
 
In the summer of 1995, three nuns play the lottery to save their failing convent and set off on an adventure to Italy in search of a miracle. A joyful, heart-warming story of friendship, community, faith and love. 
 
The 1990s are proving tough for the convent. The order of the Sisters of Saint Philomena is down to its three last nuns. The place that Sisters Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia call home is in dire need of repairs and, with no savings and no new recruits, they are facing the prospect of having to sell up and leave behind the friends and neighbours in the parish community that they love. 
 
That is, until ninety-year-old Cecilia decides to play the newly launched National Lottery and a series of small miracles begins to unfold... 
 
Small Miracles takes the reader on a joyful and uplifting journey as these three unforgettable nuns learn more about life, love and friendship than they could ever have imagined. 
 
***Sweet Mercies, the new adventure with the Sisters of Saint Philomena, is available now!***

a reassuring story for children missing a loved one

I Send You A Hug

A lyrical, heart-warming message of love from someone far away 
 
When Big Bear and Little Bear have to say goodbye, Big Bear tells Little Bear about all the ways she'll send a hug from afar: 
 
I can change my hug into bird song early in the morning, 
or into the sea so I can wave at you when you are on the beach. 
 
Join Little Bear on his adventure to discover all the many different ways to feel a hug from a loved one, even when apart. 
 
A soothing and uplifting story for every child who is missing someone.

Anne Booth (Author) Anne Booth has had all sorts of jobs, including washing up in a restaurant, working as a tour guide in a haunted almshouse, bookselling, teaching English in Italy, lecturing at university and being a long-term carer for her elderly parents. She has published 25 children's books and Small Miracles is her first novel for adults. All her childhood and teenage years she wanted to be a nun, and although she has ended up happily married with four children, she still feels inspired by the many kind nuns and religious Sisters she has met. Åsa Gilland (Illustrator) Åsa Gilland is an illustrator who comes from a background of graphic and surface design. She works in a combination of traditional and digital media and besides illustrating a number of children's books, her work has been featured in editorials, on textiles and stationary. 
 
Åsa has lived in seven countries and loves to travel near and far with her two sons. She now lives in Indonesia with her family and two cats. Learn more about her work at asagilland.com, and follow her on Instagram at @asagilland.

When Big Bear and Little Bear have to say goodbye, Big Bear tells Little Bear about all the ways she'll send a hug from afar: 
 
I can change my hug into bird song early in the morning, 
or into the sea so I can wave at you when you are on the beach. 
 
Join Little Bear on his adventure to discover all the many different ways to feel a hug from a loved one, even when apart. 
 
A soothing and uplifting story for every child who is missing someone far away.

Anne Booth

Although this charming book is indeed heartwarming, it has the spice of reality which prevents it from becoming too sweet. I really enjoyed it

A wonderful, cheering Christmassy book about forgiveness and faith of all kinds. A perfect gift!

I absolutely adored Sweet Mercies, which is if possible, even better than its predecessor, Small Miracles. Beautifully drawn characters, full of a resounding zest for life, mingle with others not so lucky. The result is uplifting, joyful and bursting with hope.... A triumph!

On one level, Sweet Mercies is an accessible, light read, ideal to curl up with at Christmas. There's lots of laughter - the havoc unwound by two playful kittens; Sister Bridget's shenanigans with the bingo balls; the tragi-comic decapitation of a statue. But like its predecessor, the book touches on deeper themes... When the folk of Fairbridge experience divine tenderness and forgiveness through people of faith they are encountering for themselves the sweet mercies of God

Charming, witty and warm, Small Miracles is a gentle gem of a novel, a cheery balm in troubling times

AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird, on Small Miracles

Heart-warming and quirky, with a cast of lovable characters...Just wonderful. I loved it

I want to be in the kitchen with Sister Bridget cooking up a storm! We should all learn to follow our hearts and find what we love, and be thankful for those we love. This book is a joyful celebration of love

With gentle humour, and surprising twists and turns, this is just the book we need in these difficult times. I didn't want it to end

**TREAT YOURSELF TO THIS COSY FESTIVE READ ** 
 
Even saints need second chances... 
 
Discover the new heartwarming Christmas adventure with the Sisters of Saint Philomena, about friendship, family, and forgiveness. Perfect for fans of AJ Pearce, Katie Fforde and Call the Midwife. 
 
Everyone loves Sister Bridget. The cheerful Mother Superior of St Philomena's convent is friend to many in the town of Fairbridge and the irrepressible caller at the weekly Parish Bingo. There is nothing she can't sort out with a kind word, a cup of tea and a slice of her amazing chocolate cake. 
 
But as the Christmas tree goes up and festive cheer rises, a visitor arrives at the convent who doesn't like Sister Bridget one bit. Sister Bridget soon learns that secrets are bubbling to the surface back home in Ireland - especially for her younger sister Mary. She will need to face up to past deeds, however well-intended. 
 
With the help of her friends, and the power of love and forgiveness, maybe she can finally make things right. 
 
Sweet Mercies reminds us that none of us is perfect, and everybody deserves another chance at finding peace and happiness. 
 
Praise for Anne Booth: 
 
'Charming, witty and warm, Small Miracles is a gentle gem of a novel, a cheery balm in troubling times.' AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird 
 
'With gentle humour, and surprising twists and turns, this is just the book we need in these difficult times. I didn't want it to end' Katie Fforde 
 
Readers adore Sweet Mercies: 
 
‘A lovely feel good story…I raced through this’ 
 
‘The whole book left me smiling’ 
 
‘This book is like receiving the best Christmas present all wrapped up with a bow!’ 
 
‘This book was a joy to read, full of community and kindness’ 
 
‘What a lovely hug of a book!’

Anne Booth

Books by Anne Booth

Series by Anne Booth

The Sisters of Saint Philomena

Articles featuring Anne Booth

15 of the best children’s books about love

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