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The Little Flower: The Story of St. Therese of the Child Jesus
See the life of a saint from her own eyes. Culled from her autobiography Story of a Soul, The Little Flower tells the story of the life of Saint Therese of Lisieux from her own perspective in a way better suited to children. Learn about the Little Way from St. Therese herself and see how her Little Way that led her to love God with all my heart can make you as easily into a saint too.
Mary Fabyan Windeatt was known as “the storyteller of the saints.” In the 1950’s and 60’s she wrote over twenty historical fiction novels on the saints, bringing to life these holy men and women for young readers across the world. By artistically rendering familiar stories, the Windeatt books help readers see that the saints are real people whom we can emulate.
Ideal for all children, especially those enrolled in TAN Academy in kindergarten through third grades for easy reading literature.
Mary Fabyan Windeatt was known as “the storyteller of the saints.” In the 1950’s and 60’s she wrote over twenty historical fiction novels on the saints, bringing to life these holy men and women for young readers across the world. By artistically rendering familiar stories, the Windeatt books help readers see that the saints are real people whom we can emulate.
Ideal for all children, especially those enrolled in TAN Academy in kindergarten through third grades for easy reading literature.
Paperback
First published March 1, 1992
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About the author
Mary Fabyan Windeatt
101 books25 followersMary Fabyan Windeatt was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1910. Interested in music as a child, she received a degree in music from Toronto Conservatory of Music at the age of fifteen and a further degree in music from Mount Saint Vincent College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1927. This same year she moved with her family to San Diego, California, graduating from San Diego State College in 1934 with a degree in business.
She moved to New York to seek employment in the field of advertising but was unsuccessful. With time on her hands, she began to write and in 1934, she sent a story, which was accepted for publication, to a Catholic magazine. She continued to write while pursuing her studies, graduating in 1940 with a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Miss Windeatt eventually contributed verse, book reviews, short stories, and articles to thirty-three different publications and wrote numerous biographies of saints for children. The first biography, Saints in the Sky, The Story of St. Catherine of Siena, was published in 1941. Considerable research went into her books; for example, she traveled to Peru in the summer of 1941 prior to publishing Lad of Lima, The Story of Blessed Martin de Porres in 1942. (St. Martin de Porres was canonized a saint in 1962.) In addition to her biographies, she also wrote the text for twenty-eight Catholic coloring books and was a regular contributor to the monthly Dominican magazine The Torch in which many of her books originally appeared in serial form. A third-order (secular) Dominican, she has been called the “storyteller of the saints”—especially Dominican saints.
Later in life, Miss Windeatt moved near St. Meinrad’s Abbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana with her mother. She died on November 20, 1979.
Under their original titles, the series of saint biographies that Mary Fabyan Windeatt wrote in the 1940’s and 1950’s are currently out of print. However between 1991 and 1994, Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. republished twenty of these saint biographies.
Rich in Roman Catholic culture and doctrine, these books illustrate to both children and adults how the Faith was lived every day by the saints; they inspire us to know, love, and serve God as the saints did. Mary Fabyan Windeatt had the ability to relate much factual information about each saint while seasoning the narrative with the doctrinal truths they lived. While each saint shines forth in these books, these writings also reveal to us Ms. Windeatt’s own strong Catholic beliefs; her faith too lives on.
She moved to New York to seek employment in the field of advertising but was unsuccessful. With time on her hands, she began to write and in 1934, she sent a story, which was accepted for publication, to a Catholic magazine. She continued to write while pursuing her studies, graduating in 1940 with a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Miss Windeatt eventually contributed verse, book reviews, short stories, and articles to thirty-three different publications and wrote numerous biographies of saints for children. The first biography, Saints in the Sky, The Story of St. Catherine of Siena, was published in 1941. Considerable research went into her books; for example, she traveled to Peru in the summer of 1941 prior to publishing Lad of Lima, The Story of Blessed Martin de Porres in 1942. (St. Martin de Porres was canonized a saint in 1962.) In addition to her biographies, she also wrote the text for twenty-eight Catholic coloring books and was a regular contributor to the monthly Dominican magazine The Torch in which many of her books originally appeared in serial form. A third-order (secular) Dominican, she has been called the “storyteller of the saints”—especially Dominican saints.
Later in life, Miss Windeatt moved near St. Meinrad’s Abbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana with her mother. She died on November 20, 1979.
Under their original titles, the series of saint biographies that Mary Fabyan Windeatt wrote in the 1940’s and 1950’s are currently out of print. However between 1991 and 1994, Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. republished twenty of these saint biographies.
Rich in Roman Catholic culture and doctrine, these books illustrate to both children and adults how the Faith was lived every day by the saints; they inspire us to know, love, and serve God as the saints did. Mary Fabyan Windeatt had the ability to relate much factual information about each saint while seasoning the narrative with the doctrinal truths they lived. While each saint shines forth in these books, these writings also reveal to us Ms. Windeatt’s own strong Catholic beliefs; her faith too lives on.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 21, 2025
5🌟 rtc♥️
January 19, 2021
I read this aloud to my children but I personally gained such a lot from this book. A wonderful introduction to St Therese’s life and writing; it is skilfully written for children to find engaging, but not over simplified at all. It is the first Fabyan Windeatt saint book we have read, and we will definitely be reading more.
August 4, 2009
Well, I've been reading a few of these Catholic Saint books. They're really interesting and informative--also inspiring in many ways, although some more so than others. I enjoyed this one. It's about a girl who helps teach that we become saints by becoming little children in the Father's bosom: humility, obedience, love.
June 20, 2012
So recomended!!!!!
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February 25, 2013I want to know this detail
January 5, 2014
This came highly recommended by my nine-year-old daughter. I enjoyed this sweet introduction to Therese and her Little Way.
August 30, 2012
I love her books now that they're in the first person!
February 28, 2021
I first read this book when I was 11. Back during my worst flare when I was home bound and tormented. I honestly don’t remember much from that time, whether from the inflammation of my brain causing memory loss, or memory repression from the trauma, I’m not sure.
But I know that I read this book, and that it really resonated with me then. I came out of those months feeling a strong connection to St. Therese that has persisted even now. I reread the book to try to gain back some of what I’ve lost with the blank slate where those memories should be.
It was a good novel. I’m not sure how to review it, honestly, being that it is both nonfiction and written for young children. I haven’t read A Story of a Soul, but I’d like to. Maybe I’ll return to this review after that.
Definitely recommend this book. It means a lot to me.
But I know that I read this book, and that it really resonated with me then. I came out of those months feeling a strong connection to St. Therese that has persisted even now. I reread the book to try to gain back some of what I’ve lost with the blank slate where those memories should be.
It was a good novel. I’m not sure how to review it, honestly, being that it is both nonfiction and written for young children. I haven’t read A Story of a Soul, but I’d like to. Maybe I’ll return to this review after that.
Definitely recommend this book. It means a lot to me.
February 17, 2022
Read this with L and A over a few months, and thoroughly enjoyed it! It's been a while since I read Story of a Soul, and this book was actually a great refresher for me as an adult. We will revisit this as an independent read in the future, but it was a good level for reading aloud with ages 6 and 8.
September 1, 2022
Even though Mary Fabyan's books were geared towards children, you learn so much about the various saints she write's about. Her books are treasures!
June 15, 2024
Loved this as a kid, love it now. This book played a GIGANTIC part in who I am today
January 1, 2025
Nice biography for children. I was looking for one tht I read over and over again as a child. The cover had the most beautiful roses being carried in St. Theresa's arms.
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February 22, 2015I loved reading about Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. Therese was the youngest of five girls in her family. She was very much loved by her four older sisters and was very spoiled. At times she became cross and naught. Therese had decided that she would change her ways and try to please God by doing whatever He asked of her. This is a true story of what happened when little Therese Martin set out to become a saint. I would recommend this chapter book for grades 4-6.
February 1, 2024
This book didn’t read as well as the previous book I had read on the Little Flower. Wishing I had walked away more satisfied after reading it. Saint Therese and the Roses by Helen Walker Homan was spiritually a better read on this saint.
December 14, 2021
Love it! My 19th fav!
December 22, 2013
Good series
January 4, 2015
She is the BEST saint ever. So worth reading!!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews