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Philomena
A story from Kate Seredy's own background takes Czechoslovakian Philomena from her country home to seek her fortune in Prague after her Grandmother dies. With Babushka's warm advice in her heart, Philomena sets out with confidence but the first thing she must do requires more than that- she must find her Aunt Liska whose married name Philomena does not know. How her fortunes fail at first as Philomena works as a servant girl, and how they become bright at last makes a sympathetic story. The author's drawings, pinpointing important scenes, are in her characteristic meticulously detailed outlines. (Kirkus)
93 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 1955
4 people are currently reading
355 people want to read
About the author
Kate Seredy
75 books93 followersSeredy (Serédy Kató) was a gifted writer and illustrator, born in Hungary, who moved to the United States in 1922.
Seredy received a diploma to teach art from the Academy of Arts in Budapest. During World War I Seredy travelled to Paris and worked as a combat nurse. After the war she illustrated several books in Hungary.
She is best known for The Good Master, written in 1935, and for the Newbery Award winner, The White Stag.
Seredy received a diploma to teach art from the Academy of Arts in Budapest. During World War I Seredy travelled to Paris and worked as a combat nurse. After the war she illustrated several books in Hungary.
She is best known for The Good Master, written in 1935, and for the Newbery Award winner, The White Stag.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 22, 2021
(First, don't trust the misleading low rating of this book, or reviews of a book by Sixsmith that was made into a movie. Readers of that read a different book entirely. Hopefully things will get straightened out somehow someday.)
This is a funny and sunny children's story about an orphan with courage who is hard-working, kind, optimistic, and faithful... and is justly rewarded. Nowadays it can be enjoyed as historical fiction. A perfect book for a family who home-schools, a wonderful book for any of us who are nostalgic for believable, not overly-sweet stories about people who try to do right by their families, their communities, and themselves & God. (To clarify, though, it's not a Christian book per se, and I love it even though I am atheist.) I would have read this over and over when I was a child.
And the illustrations are, of course, marvelous. The end-papers, all yellow and pink, full of dancing people and pets, and a cheery baba yaga house, are vibrantly decorative as well as being amusing. The image of old Babushka playing a traditional guitar is a hoot, as is the image of the corrupt & snooty butler who appropriates most of Philomena's wages. My favorite picture, though, is probably the one in which country girl Philomena gets all wrathful on two bad boys and rescues a kitten from them.
Highly recommended. Check this out from your library; do not let them cull it for lack of circulation! If they don't have it, track it down somehow.
This is a funny and sunny children's story about an orphan with courage who is hard-working, kind, optimistic, and faithful... and is justly rewarded. Nowadays it can be enjoyed as historical fiction. A perfect book for a family who home-schools, a wonderful book for any of us who are nostalgic for believable, not overly-sweet stories about people who try to do right by their families, their communities, and themselves & God. (To clarify, though, it's not a Christian book per se, and I love it even though I am atheist.) I would have read this over and over when I was a child.
And the illustrations are, of course, marvelous. The end-papers, all yellow and pink, full of dancing people and pets, and a cheery baba yaga house, are vibrantly decorative as well as being amusing. The image of old Babushka playing a traditional guitar is a hoot, as is the image of the corrupt & snooty butler who appropriates most of Philomena's wages. My favorite picture, though, is probably the one in which country girl Philomena gets all wrathful on two bad boys and rescues a kitten from them.
Highly recommended. Check this out from your library; do not let them cull it for lack of circulation! If they don't have it, track it down somehow.
September 4, 2012
"Everybody else in the village went to church every Sunday. First they listened to Father Matthias. Father Matthias was a wise priest who knew all about the weather, the sheep, and the chickens. He told the men of the village when to plant potatoes and corn. He told them what to do when animals got sick. He knew about God and Heaven, of course, but he also knew that people must have enough to eat to be happy, and therefore good, so he taught them to be good farmers. Good farmers have so much to do that there simply isn't enough time left over for them to do anything that would make God angry with them! The good priest told them about Heaven, to be sure, but he just took it for granted that all his people would go there. He didn't have to bother to tell them about the other place. He was a very wise man."
June 19, 2017
What a delightful surprise! We didn't read this book when we did Sonlight C because I had an older teacher's guide, but purchased it for when I go through again with my son. The Christian undertone is not overdone, the story is exciting, and we loved the illustrations in this version. A nice little adventure of a young girl in Prague.
November 23, 2025
a sweet but unremarkable story of a Czechoslovakian naive country girl searching for her aunt in the city...her dead grandmother sends her "signs" to guide her from job to job and all ends well.
March 28, 2016
Savannah and I loved this sweet story. I love how she tries to get guidance from her grandmother in heaven and trusts completely that even though she can't see her, she is there helping her along. Good moral to the story while also learning about what it was like to be a girl in Prague pre-WWI
March 22, 2013
A charming story of one delightful young girl's search for her lost aunt during her time of city "service" in pre-World War I Czechoslovakia.
June 10, 2017
Beautiful illustrations and a feel-good story.
May 1, 2018
The kind of story I loved to reread as a child! A girl goes to the big city to make her fortune, and does so through a combination of luck and hard work.
August 17, 2022
So, a while ago I bought The Good Master because I loved the cover and I was curious about the illustrator, Kate Seredy. I really loved it and I started tracking down Seredy's work.
The White Stag is on its way, the sequel to The Good Master is next to my bed and today I received this via mail. Since it was short, I read it soon after dinner. I'm supposed to read something else but... jeez, that something else's way too boring.
Anyway... charming tale of a twelve-year-old girl who needs to move to Prague to look for her missing aunt, the only family she has left. Her Babuschka dies at the beginning of the book, but her presence helps young Philomena throughout the book.
She's in the city to become a fine wife: she has to learn to be humble and frugal, to be clean and to cook well. All this to be married at sixteen. That's how things were. She's all alone, but she manages to find a canary, a cat and a dog who will accompany her in her quest.
Very sweet, very religious, but I like Philomena as a character. And I like the way the author depicts a world that doesn't exist anymore: Philomena's surprise when she discovers running water and internal plumbing, for instance.
I'll track down more of Seredy's books.
The White Stag is on its way, the sequel to The Good Master is next to my bed and today I received this via mail. Since it was short, I read it soon after dinner. I'm supposed to read something else but... jeez, that something else's way too boring.
Anyway... charming tale of a twelve-year-old girl who needs to move to Prague to look for her missing aunt, the only family she has left. Her Babuschka dies at the beginning of the book, but her presence helps young Philomena throughout the book.
She's in the city to become a fine wife: she has to learn to be humble and frugal, to be clean and to cook well. All this to be married at sixteen. That's how things were. She's all alone, but she manages to find a canary, a cat and a dog who will accompany her in her quest.
Very sweet, very religious, but I like Philomena as a character. And I like the way the author depicts a world that doesn't exist anymore: Philomena's surprise when she discovers running water and internal plumbing, for instance.
I'll track down more of Seredy's books.
June 25, 2020
Philomena is a little orphan girl who grew up in a village just outside of Prague with Babushka. When she turns twelve, Philomena, like all girls in her village, go to Prague to hire themselves out until sixteen to grow in their domestic skills and earn a dowry.
This story follows Philomena after Babushka dies and Philomena goes to Prague to find her only family, Aunt Liska whom they have not heard from in years. Philomena gets into some interesting situations as she learns and looks for her aunt before returning to her village.
This is a charming and interesting book. It gives you a peek into the older culture of Prague and how the people of this village think. It brought up lots of interesting conversations as Philomena "talks" to Babushka in Heaven to seek advice as well as comparing the differences in culture and belief.
I think it is a good book for discussion, though I can't say I loved the book. I do appreciate the ending that is left in a neutral tone, making it different from your happily ever after endings.
This story follows Philomena after Babushka dies and Philomena goes to Prague to find her only family, Aunt Liska whom they have not heard from in years. Philomena gets into some interesting situations as she learns and looks for her aunt before returning to her village.
This is a charming and interesting book. It gives you a peek into the older culture of Prague and how the people of this village think. It brought up lots of interesting conversations as Philomena "talks" to Babushka in Heaven to seek advice as well as comparing the differences in culture and belief.
I think it is a good book for discussion, though I can't say I loved the book. I do appreciate the ending that is left in a neutral tone, making it different from your happily ever after endings.
August 19, 2024
What a delight! Sweet little book. I would’ve never found it, the author being from Hungary. But she is also an illustrator of books and illustrated a Newberry award-winning book that I was reading about.
I became interested in this subject matter because it is set in the old Czechoslovakia, where my son served his mission. It is the tender story of a young girl leaving the countryside to go into Prague to seek her fortune, seeking for a long lost aunt. She is led, innocently trusting in perceived messages of guidance from her deceased babushka.
Enchanting vignettes follow each in turn seemingly unrelated, even unhelpful but which build upon each other to a happy ending.
I became interested in this subject matter because it is set in the old Czechoslovakia, where my son served his mission. It is the tender story of a young girl leaving the countryside to go into Prague to seek her fortune, seeking for a long lost aunt. She is led, innocently trusting in perceived messages of guidance from her deceased babushka.
Enchanting vignettes follow each in turn seemingly unrelated, even unhelpful but which build upon each other to a happy ending.
November 19, 2021
Kate Seredy’s books are just the best. I would have liked this one even better if Philomena had offered her prayers to God instead of to her departed grandmother—but I still can’t give it less than five stars. The illustrations are wonderful, and the story is uplifting and beautiful.
May 30, 2022
Such a sweet, lovely little book. The theology is a bit off, but I can forgive that in fiction--particularly if it's well-written.
This is one of Seredy's books that I didn't read growing up, and I'm sorry for that. It's one I'll certainly be sharing with my girls.
This is one of Seredy's books that I didn't read growing up, and I'm sorry for that. It's one I'll certainly be sharing with my girls.
May 2, 2023
My girls and I loved this sweet book so much! It is a fairly simple, fast read but filled with so many gems. Kate Seredy has become one of our favorite authors. We will read all of her books at some point :)
August 1, 2023
A sweet, endearing story. I know I would have loved it as a child, and I'm sorry I never happened upon it. It makes me want to re-read some of Kate Seredy's better-known books, such as The White Stag and The Good Master.
April 20, 2025
A sweet little book. Certainly from a different time, with a little 11-year-old girl fending for herself in Prague. But she has faith and is a strong, cheerful country girl with a can-do attitude who loves animals. An enjoyable read, with beautiful illustrations.
March 28, 2018
Just read this with Katie and Nicole, it was a cute story, we all really liked it.
July 25, 2018
Fun older girl story. 2 female names in the book are the same as my Dutch aunts, which is fun to see. I'm not a fan of "praying" to dead people, but it's still a cute story.
March 7, 2019
It is a funny book she gets pets in funny ways looking for her aunt I like this book.
April 9, 2021
Charming characters, great themes, fun read aloud. Loved the setting in Prague!
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June 9, 2021Fun!
November 16, 2024
I always meant to read this when I was younger. I finally ended up reading it aloud to my little sister. We both enjoyed it. And I enjoyed being able to share it with her.
June 30, 2025
Re-reading some of my childhood books. Sweet story about a girl from Bohemia, where my grandmother was from. Sure my mom read this to me. Beautiful illustrations
July 21, 2025
A sweet story for children, lyrically written, and set in the Czech Republic.
September 2, 2014
Very sad and incredibly well written. Never saw the movie, though I am a fan of both Steve and Dame Judi. It was heartbreaking to read about what happened to so many women and children over the years; and all in the name of Christian morality. I am certain the situations of some of the children may have been improved by what was done - but when has the end ever justified the means? Money and power were at the root of this in my opinion, a means of holding a people in "their place" as, times began to move away from the feudal attitude the church appears to be holding onto.
Still, this book does not castigate, or blame in entirety, the church's role in all this - it does lay out facts in an impartial way, leaving the rest to the reader.
Still, this book does not castigate, or blame in entirety, the church's role in all this - it does lay out facts in an impartial way, leaving the rest to the reader.
May 22, 2014
I was not a big fan of this book. The movie trailer presented as though it was both the mom and son that contributed to this story. It was not written as such and Philomena did not have a part in the story until early on and late in the book.
June 17, 2021
Such a sweet story with delightful pictures and ending.
"...one must use both head and heart to make things come out right. The head must be hard and the heart soft, he said, but one must make them work together like a team of horses." p. 55
"...one must use both head and heart to make things come out right. The head must be hard and the heart soft, he said, but one must make them work together like a team of horses." p. 55
September 22, 2011
a v. sweet book w/a happy ending. seredy's art makes me v. uncomfortable, reminds me of germany circa late thirties, philomena is beautiful w/out the art work (and most people will enjoy the art).
June 2, 2023
Sweet!
April 7, 2014
Great book, but not the movie. It is really the story of the boy who was adopted, and not the story of the woman and reporter who tried to find him- like the charming movie was.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews