Inside the Ark and Other Stories

by Caryll Houselander, Renée George (Illustrator)

Here are stories of princes and gypsies, bishops and bears —tales of Catholic boys and girls who remind us that especially in young souls the Faith is quite strong, and evil is never a match for goodness.

Among other children, you'll come to know:
* Bernard, the boy who walks three miles to Mass and meets Jesus on the way;
* Nickie, the young prince who learns from a dancing bear a strong lesson in love;
* Osbert and Rupert, gypsy twins who make a donkey of themselves to bring peace to the world;
* Tommy, who uses kindness and two minnows to heal a bishop and save a school;
* Joey, the stable boy whose coat is transformed when his donkey bears Jesus to Jerusalem; and
* Kathleen, who goes without candy and brings a shopkeeper back to the Faith.

Soviet cows, Marian icons, pet mice, Easter roosters, Noah and the ark, fish, donkeys, and even a dinosaur: they're all here in a dozen charming tales of children living their Faith while having great Catholic fun.

Genres: Catholic, Childrens, Religion

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Caryll Houselander (1901-1954) was a British Roman Catholic laywoman; a mystic, writer, artist, visionary and healer. Born in London in 1901, Caryll was the second of two daughters born to Willmott and Gertrude (nee Provis) Houselander. Her first book, This War is the Passion. written during World War II, launched her prolific writing career. Houselander's talents included painting and many woodcarvings.

Caryll's "divinely eccentric" life was principally a devotion to contemplating Christ in all and men and women and in all life circumstances. Maisie Ward (a friend of Caryll and author of her principal biography, Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric (Sheed & Ward, 1962), states, "Her message can be summed in a single sentence; we must learn to see Christ in everyone." Msgr. Ronald Knox was quoted as saying about Caryll's writing style, " . . . she seemed to see everything for the first time and the driest of doctrinal considerations shone out like a restored picture when she finished it."

Though she remained a single woman throughout her life, Caryll was engaged for a time to Sidney Reilly, who was the model for Ian Fleming's character, "James Bond."

Caryll Houselander has been described as being a mystic in the tradition of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila. She is best known for her works such as The Reed of God.

Caryll died of cancer on October 12th, 1954. Her bibliography consists of more than seven hundred written works including poems, short stories and articles, articles for juvenile publications and children's books (for some of these she did artwork for as well), articles for various Catholic publications, and, of course, her own books.

Reviews

[Katie Fitzgerald]

This collection of short stories for Catholic kids is a new favorite for me and my two older girls (ages 3 and 5). These stories span many different cultures and expressions of Catholicism, but they are all beautifully poignant and they subtly point children toward God. I am looking forward to reading Houselander's section collection, Terrible Farmer Timson and Other Stories.

[Lauren]

Another fantastic read aloud for kids by Houselander. I wish she has written more of these! Most of them brought tears to my eyes as I read them to my children!