Jessica's First Prayer & Jessica's Mother

by Hesba Stretton

In nineteenth-century London, a poor street girl is befriended by the owner of a coffee stall who feeds her once a week and introduces her to God and prayer

123 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1995

About the author

Hesba Stretton (1832-1911) was the nom de plume of Sarah Smith, an English author of children's literature. The name Hesba came from the initials of her siblings. She was the daughter of a bookseller from Wellington, Shropshire, but around 1867 she moved south and lived at Snaresbrook and Loughton near Epping Forest and at Ham, near Richmond, Surrey. Her moral tales and semi-religious stories, chiefly for the young, were printed in huge quantities, and were especially widespread as school and Sunday school prizes. She won wide acceptance in English homes from the publication of Jessica's First Prayer in 1867. She was a regular contributor to Household Words and All the Year Round during Charles Dickens' editorship, and wrote upwards of 40 novels.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook here: https://archive.org/details/jessicasf...

I read the edited version long ago, and the Lamplighter editor claimed to have "improved" the story because he disliked the ending. I strongly disliked his version. I always meant to find the original version and suspected I'd like even a "depressing" ending better than a reinvented one, and sure enough, I found this original to be a sweet and uplifting story. What happens when God shows us a different plan than we had hoped for? How do we react? Two men have their roles in God's future redefined--one by sickness, the other by a disturbed individual. What a picture of how to take those "setbacks" and still praise God!

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica’s First Prayer:
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is a lovely little story set in 1860s London, reminding me a little of A Little Princess at the beginning. The writing style is similar to Alcott, very lovely. The characters are Jessica, a little street beggar abused by her drunken mother; Daniel, a pew-opener and coffee stall owner hoarding money; and a widowed minister and his two daughters. I loved the additional messages of everyone being able to go to God and come to church! Jessica was a very sweet little thing and I was very inspired by her transparent love for God and deep faith in Him. The minister was a lovely man, although I feel that he spent too much time speaking pretty words and hardly any dispensing real food to his flock. Daniel was an interesting character, harsh but kind, and his arc was really very good.

Overall, this was a slow, gentle-paced book, with a simple message: what will it take to make Daniel find God instead of religion? When will souls become more important than money?

A Favourite Quote: “...the questions this poor little creature has asked me have gone quicker and deeper down to my conscience than all your sermons, if I may make so free as to say it. She’s come often and often of a morning, and looked into my face with those clear eyes of hers, and said, ‘Don’t you love Jesus Christ, Mr. Daniel?’ ‘Doesn’t it make you very glad that God is your Father, Mr. Daniel?’ ‘Are we getting nearer heaven every day, Mr. Daniel?’

Jessica’s Mother:
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Oh, this is even sweeter than Jessica's First Prayer! I loved seeing Jessica so sweet and innocent and Godly. And seeing Daniel, too—how he changed and became more and more like Christ—ah, it was a wonderful arc! The minister was still an issue to me—I couldn’t understand why he was "so holy" but didn’t make sure his parishioners understood his sermons… but he was a nice man. Jessica’s mother was a great addition, too… The lessons here were just so good and a great reminder. <3 I especially loved all the reminders about prayer…

A Favourite Quote: “What is a stroke, Jessica?” asked Jane[.]
“I don’t hardly know,” answered Jessica. “I know what strokes used to be when I lived with mother; but this is different, Miss Jane; this stroke comes from God, and it cannot be very bad.” ...
“Does a stroke last long, Jessica?” inquired Jane[.]
“I’m not sure,” answered Jessica. “Mother’s strokes were sharp and soon over, but the smart lasted a long while. Maybe the stroke is now over, but perhaps the smart will last a little while. God knows.”
“Yes,” said Jane, the tears standing in her eyes, “and God knows what is best for papa and us. We’ve known that a long time, but now we must believe it with our hearts.”

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet book. Not the kids' favorite but they were engaged through most of it. Great points about compassion, humility, pride, salvation, etc. Quite a lot of details and character development for a book so small.

[Mikaylah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a beautiful story of having faith like a child. So moving and sweet. Though “Jessica’s First Prayer” was written over 150 years ago, this is a classic I’m elated to have on my bookshelf.
One of my favorite Lamplighter books! 😊❤️📚

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story! We seem to be reading lots of books having to do with the street children of 19th century London lately.