The Rare, Tiny Flower

978-1-7347618-2-5

by Kitty O'Meara

$18.99

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The poem features a mysterious flower that looks different to each viewer, which leads to strife as everyone insists that their vision is “right.” Leaders and even botanists are unable to agree on the nature of the flower—it takes a young girl to point out that the flower is, in fact, quite multidimensional. Remarkably, she has the ability to be heard by the squabbling masses, who then see beyond their fighting and commit to connecting with one another. 

O’Meara’s thoughtful poem begins with these words:

Once, in a forest,
a bird dropped a seed.
It wasn’t a sapling,
it wasn’t a weed,
but a rare, tiny flower
that found light and grew.
To some it looked red,
to some it looked blue. 

Awards:

*2022 NYC Big Book Award Winner in Children's Inspirational

*2022 World Illustration Awards Shortlist

Praise:

"Kitty O'Meara's The Rare, Tiny Flower, illustrated by Quim Torres, relies on metaphor to introduce children to the often trivial reasons for war." —The New York Times

“Kitty O'Meara is the poet laureate of the pandemic”—The Observer

“The Rare Tiny Flower was created to speak about our need to listen to each other more, respect others' opinions and just be better humans. The book speaks to both adults and children.” –10thirtysix, Milwaukee PBS 

“There are many problems facing the world today. We’ve sadly seen, again and again, that when people are overwhelmed they may choose to allow anxiety to mute their spirits and gifts. When voices are raised in anger and fear, no one can be heard. Reason and imagination depart. In The Rare, Tiny Flower, I wanted to show that every voice, every gift, is here to meet the world’s needs. Space and time for listening and peaceful reflection are vital. We need to grant this to ourselves and others so we can reunite and get to work respectfully and creatively.” —Kitty O’Meara


Kitty O'Meara Kitty O’Meara lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, Phillip Hagedorn, their five rescue dogs, two cats, gardens, and books. Formerly a middle school writing and literature teacher and hospital and hospice chaplain, she is currently a spiritual director and has been a lifelong writer and artist. She has been called “the poet laureate of the pandemic” based on her wildly popular, widely circulated, and hopeful poem about the Covid-19 pandemic. That poem is illustrated and presented in book form in And the People Stayed Home, her first print book, published by Tra Publishing. The Rare, Tiny Flower will be her second published print book. 


Quim Torres is an award-winning illustrator and author based in Barcelona. He has illustrated several children's books, including the recent titles Alera i Perot, How Grandpa Disappeared, Quel mari pour Jolie souris?, Contes et légendes d'Espagne, and Tant de gust senyor Calders, and he is the author of the middle grade novel Constel·lacions, forthcoming from Babulinka Books in 2021. He has studied art as healing and Gestalt psychology, and he teaches workshops in which drawing becomes a means of self-discovery.

Specifications

Publication Date | June 28, 2022 | Trade edition

Hardcover » Smyth Sewn Binding

40 Pages

Color Illustrations Throughout

9.25 x 12 in.

$18.99 ($25.99 CAN)

978-1-7347618-2-5

Reading Age: 4 - 8 years


This book has been translated into the following languages:

German, Korean, Arabic and Hebrew, Complex Chinese