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The Christoph von Schmid Collection
Beloved nineteenth-century priest and teacher Christoph von Schmid had a beautiful and engaging way of teaching important moral principles. He believed children learn and cherish these truths best when taught by the examples of relatable and admirable characters.
In this captivating collection of stories, readers come to know and love faithful Mina, whose simple, earthen water pitcher brings remarkable blessings; wise Frederic Vollmar and a sacred painting that reveals a generation-long mystery; and honest Mary, with her beautifully woven basket of flowers that both condemns and liberates her. Though they each face difficult trials, these characters learn the value of trusting and loving God completely and witness the blessings that come when they put Him before all else.
Includes:
The Water Pitcher - First Pub. 1849
The Best Inheritance - First Pub. 1848
The Basket of Flowers - First Pub. 1908
In this captivating collection of stories, readers come to know and love faithful Mina, whose simple, earthen water pitcher brings remarkable blessings; wise Frederic Vollmar and a sacred painting that reveals a generation-long mystery; and honest Mary, with her beautifully woven basket of flowers that both condemns and liberates her. Though they each face difficult trials, these characters learn the value of trusting and loving God completely and witness the blessings that come when they put Him before all else.
Includes:
The Water Pitcher - First Pub. 1849
The Best Inheritance - First Pub. 1848
The Basket of Flowers - First Pub. 1908
176 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
About the author
Christoph von Schmid
376 books37 followersDon't confuse with Johann Christoph von Schmid (1756-1827).
Johann Nepomuk Christoph Friedrich von Schmid was a writer of children's stories, educator, and Roman Catholic priest. His stories were very popular and translated into many languages. His best-known work in the English-speaking world is The Basket of Flowers (Das Blumenkörbchen).
Johann Nepomuk Christoph Friedrich von Schmid was a writer of children's stories, educator, and Roman Catholic priest. His stories were very popular and translated into many languages. His best-known work in the English-speaking world is The Basket of Flowers (Das Blumenkörbchen).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 19, 2026
The Water Pitcher and the Best Inheritance- FOUR STAR
Good book! I liked the obvious theme of God woven into it. It was just perfectly executed in that it was very God-oriented without being overly sappy. It’s God-orientedness reminds me of that of Narnia, where it clearly has a theme of God, but it isn’t repulsively sappy. This one was a little more straightforward than Narnia though (not in a bad way).
The Basket of Flowers- FIVE STAR
Amazing book! I loved the obvious theme of God woven into it. It was just perfectly executed, in that it was very God-oriented without being overly sappy. It’s God-orientedness reminds me of that of Narnia, where it clearly has a theme of God, but it isn’t repulsively sappy. This one was a much more straightforward than Narnia, though, not in a bad way.
I just can’t get over how well scripture was woven into this book! There was direct scripture quotation rarely, but if you know your Bible, you’ll be able to identify many different parts of scripture that is taught and/or mentioned (often by Mary’s Father). A few examples I jotted down of this so cleverly integrated scripture was Matthew 6:25-33, Ecclesiastes (2?), and Isaiah 40:8. There’s still much more teaching that is taken from the Bible in this book that I didn’t mention. All this to say, Christoph von Schmid was a very talented author who clearly knew his Bible.
TO GOOD AND BEAUTIFUL STUDENTS: I’ve gotta say, so far for G&B schooling, this has been my second favorite book I’ve been assigned and the only one that has made me think to read other books by that author. My favorite was “Harriet Tubman, the Moses of Her People,” but I didn’t think there were other books by her.
Good book! I liked the obvious theme of God woven into it. It was just perfectly executed in that it was very God-oriented without being overly sappy. It’s God-orientedness reminds me of that of Narnia, where it clearly has a theme of God, but it isn’t repulsively sappy. This one was a little more straightforward than Narnia though (not in a bad way).
The Basket of Flowers- FIVE STAR
Amazing book! I loved the obvious theme of God woven into it. It was just perfectly executed, in that it was very God-oriented without being overly sappy. It’s God-orientedness reminds me of that of Narnia, where it clearly has a theme of God, but it isn’t repulsively sappy. This one was a much more straightforward than Narnia, though, not in a bad way.
I just can’t get over how well scripture was woven into this book! There was direct scripture quotation rarely, but if you know your Bible, you’ll be able to identify many different parts of scripture that is taught and/or mentioned (often by Mary’s Father). A few examples I jotted down of this so cleverly integrated scripture was Matthew 6:25-33, Ecclesiastes (2?), and Isaiah 40:8. There’s still much more teaching that is taken from the Bible in this book that I didn’t mention. All this to say, Christoph von Schmid was a very talented author who clearly knew his Bible.
TO GOOD AND BEAUTIFUL STUDENTS: I’ve gotta say, so far for G&B schooling, this has been my second favorite book I’ve been assigned and the only one that has made me think to read other books by that author. My favorite was “Harriet Tubman, the Moses of Her People,” but I didn’t think there were other books by her.
May 2, 2025
Read this collection of short stories for school. I did enjoy them. . .but they had a little bit of a dark twist to them. Definitely not a fluffy "feel good" read, but packed full of real life lessons and morals. There were SO MANY good quotes, though. If I'd used a highlighter at all, I probably would have highlighted half of the book.
The Water Pitcher: a story of a meek, pious young woman named Wilhelmina who had the heart of a servant.
The Greatest Inheritance: a story about a family who lost worldly riches in a series of unfortunate events, but gained friends, greater faith in God, and a better perspective of what their true, everlasting inheritance was.
The Basket of Flowers: a story of a young girl named Mary, who was falsely accused of stealing, imprisoned, and treated badly. But she trusted that God would work everything for His glory and her good. And He did.
All three stories taught the importance of trusting in God's plan, kindness to others even when they aren't kind to us, and that being truthful, meek, merciful, and patient is so much better than having all the riches in the world.
The Water Pitcher: a story of a meek, pious young woman named Wilhelmina who had the heart of a servant.
The Greatest Inheritance: a story about a family who lost worldly riches in a series of unfortunate events, but gained friends, greater faith in God, and a better perspective of what their true, everlasting inheritance was.
The Basket of Flowers: a story of a young girl named Mary, who was falsely accused of stealing, imprisoned, and treated badly. But she trusted that God would work everything for His glory and her good. And He did.
All three stories taught the importance of trusting in God's plan, kindness to others even when they aren't kind to us, and that being truthful, meek, merciful, and patient is so much better than having all the riches in the world.
May 20, 2024
This book took a very long time to read, but it was well worth it. This book is comprised of 3 stories which shed light on life's most important lessons. Each written about good people, they teach of trusting in the Lord and having sure faith in the gospel. I don't think I've ever said Amen after reading a book before. But I have now.
May 26, 2026
Seeing as this is really three stories, I will rate them separately.
The Water Pitcher - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Best Inheritance - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Basket of Flowers - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and ⭐️/2
I have real a multitude of stories like these, and sometimes the style gets old, so I don’t feel bad saying that I did not enjoy them much. I liked the first one especially, though!
They are all great stories, especially for younger kids (I read it for a high school course).
Rating for the collection as a whole: Three and a Half Stars.
Note: A lot of people would call this preachy... I would have trouble not agreeing with them… but I still feel they are nicely done stories, even if they lean toward bluntly stating the morals they want you to take away. 😊
Age Recommendation: Any age, really.
The Water Pitcher - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Best Inheritance - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Basket of Flowers - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and ⭐️/2
I have real a multitude of stories like these, and sometimes the style gets old, so I don’t feel bad saying that I did not enjoy them much. I liked the first one especially, though!
They are all great stories, especially for younger kids (I read it for a high school course).
Rating for the collection as a whole: Three and a Half Stars.
Note: A lot of people would call this preachy... I would have trouble not agreeing with them… but I still feel they are nicely done stories, even if they lean toward bluntly stating the morals they want you to take away. 😊
Age Recommendation: Any age, really.
November 1, 2023
The first two stories were just ok, but I really enjoyed The Basket of Flowers. It was unpredictable and faith-filled, although it did start to feel a little preachy. I think the plot was very engaging.
October 8, 2025
On my favorites list. Easy, simple stories with beautiful, virtuous characters and inspiring plots. A quick must-read. Up on Haven's favorites list.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews