Annette's Library
Number of illustrations needed for this story: 13
Once upon a time, there was a lovely little girl named Annette. She lived in the poor end of town. She had a loving
mother and father, and two dear little brother, and in spite of their simple provisions and plain little home, they were
happy together. Daddy often said, "Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife."
Annette's family was a happy and their home was peaceful, though their rooms were little, their clothes were patched, and
their meals were small.
There was one thing though that Annette wanted so badly, and that was books. The livingroom shelf was graced with the
family Bible. Every evening Daddy would read to Mama and the children from that great book, and Annette did love to hear
it. And if she was very careful with the thin pages, Mama would let her sit on the sofa and look at it and read about
Abraham and Ruth and Peter and Dorcas. But as much as Annette did love their precious Bible, she wished that they had
other books as well. Once, she had heard that in the big city there was a beautiful library filled with books, but there
was no such thing here where she lived. Another time, she heard someone talking about looking through a catalog and
picking out books to buy. But that was not a possibility either. Imagine having extra money to spend for books! Daddy
reminded her, though, that not all books are good books, and Annette was comforted to know that at least they had the very
best Book of all. But she did wish for colorful story books, too. Daddy and Mama very much wanted to be able to satisfy
her desire, but they did not know how they could do that.
Well, the Heavenly Father who hears the cries of all His little children heard Annette's desire, and He had a surprise
planned for her. One day, where she was outside near her home, she found posted up by the street a colorful sign that said
"Library Coming To Town Soon, at 16 Cherry Street". Sixteen Cherry Street?! That was not far away. The big house at 16
Cherry Street had been for sale now for a long while. Was someone going to buy it and turn it into a library? Annette
hurried to tell her parents. "That's a lovely idea, Annette," Mama said, "But this is a very poor area, and I can't
imagine anyone making a library here." And Daddy said, "Don't get your hopes up too high, dear. It could just be a prank
someone is playing." Annette did not argue with her parents, but she hoped in her heart of hearts that it really was real
and true that there was a library coming to town.
Somebody had bought the house on Cherry Street. Annette and her family noticed a lot of activity going on at the big
run-down house. Workmen were busy fixing things up and repainting the house. Other people planted flowers out front. And
What was going on inside the house? Nobody knew, but surely something must be. Everyone was curious.
One day, several months later, Annette noticed a new sign. It said, "The Cherry Street Library Will Open In One Week."
Annette was not the only one who believed in the library, now. Her parents were excited now too. "I hope it is a very nice
library," Mama said eagerly. "Think! A library in our little end of town!" exclaimed Daddy. "Li-bary?" lisped Annette's
littlest brother.
The great day came. A big "Open" flag hung out front. Annette's whole family went to the library together. What a
beautiful place it was! It was hard to believe that it was the same old house that had been sitting there for sale for so
long. There were shelves and shelves of lovely books. There was a cat purring on the sofa by the window. And there was a
piano along one wall. An elderly lady was playing the piano, and her husband was sitting at a desk. He greeted them with
a smile.
Everybody picked out books that day. Mama found books for the little boys, and Daddy helped Annette find some nice stories.
When they checked out their books, Daddy asked the couple why they had decided to make a library here. "Well, the
Heavenly Father just laid it on our hearts, I guess," responded Mr. Philipps. "My wife and I were driving through this
area one day, and saw this big old house for sale, and my wife said, 'Honey, don't you think that would make a good library?'
We got to thinking about all of the families in this area of town who do not have good reading books, and the love of
Messiah prompted us to take our collection of books and turn them into a library for the folks here. These are the books
we read to our children when they were little. These are the books we read to our grandchildren now. These are the books
my wife and I have read to encourage us to be better people. So we moved here, and brought our books with us. We live
upstairs, and we have made the library downstairs here.
Annette's family was very touched by the testimony of the old couple. What a wonderful Summer that was. Every couple days,
the family walked down to Cherry Street and borrowed new books. Daddy still read the Bible to the family every evening,
but now there were also story books to read together. It was always encouraging to see Mr. and Mrs. Philipps too. They were
such a kind couple, and they always encouraged Annette and her family to live for Messiah and walk in the ways of truth and
righteousness. Then there were also Mr. and Mrs. Philipps' children and grandchildren who often came to the library.
They were very nice people, and the children grew fond of each other.
Years passed by. Annette grew from a little girl to a young woman. As she grew up, she came to have a desire in her heart.
"If I could grow up and find another poor little town, and make a library for other poor children, how wonderful that would
be," she thought. "But how could I do that? I do not have money to buy books for myself. How could I buy books for others?"
One evening, Annette's father and mother called her to their bedroom, and spoke to her about something very special. The
Philipps' grandson Adrian had asked for her hand in marriage. Annette was very surprised. Adrian had always seemed to be
a very nice person, and she liked him a lot, but she had never supposed he would ask a poor girl like herself to marry him.
She prayed about it with her parents, and they talked together about it with her brothers, and they all agreed that Adrian
was the man for Annette.
Annette and Adrian talked together. "Where would you want to live when we get married?" he asked her. "In an area where
there are a lot of poor people," she answered. "Why?" he asked. "You will not be poor anymore. I will take care of you
now. You will have good clothes and plenty of food. And do you know what else?" he asked. He knew that she loved books.
"Our family will have lots of books. Of course we can still borrow books too from my grandparents, because they have many
excellent books. But I also have lots of books. I have been collecting books for our family." Annette was very happy
about this indeed. "We really should live in a poor area then!" she exclaimed. "Why?" Adrian asked again. He was confused.
Then Annette explained to him that for a long time she had wanted to be like his grandparents and give a library to poor
families who did not have good books. "We could share with them good books that would help them learn of Messiah and his
love," she said. Adrian was pleased to know that Annette admired his grandparents so much and wanted to be like them. He
thought that her idea was a wonderful idea. So Adrian and Annette and their families began to pray that the Heavenly
Father would help them to find a big old house in a poor area of town, that they could turn into a library.
Do you know what? The same Heavenly Father who heard Annette's prayers for books when she was a little girl, heard her
prayers for other boys and girls now. And he looked down on the poor families in a town not far away from Annette's home,
and saw that they needed a kind and loving couple to share with them the gift of a beautiful library. He led Adrian and
Annette to a large house surrounded by poor people, and together with their families, they worked on fixing it up
and painting it and planting flowers and gracing its downstairs rooms with bookshelves. The people of the town noticed
signs posted up that read, "Library Coming To Town Soon, at 35 Baker Street". Adrian and Annette got married, and after
their honeymoon, they moved into the upstairs of the house. New signs were posted up now, that said, "Library Will Be
Opening In One Week". The great day came. Adrian hung out the open flag and took his place behind the desk to greet people.
Annette played the piano. Mrs. Philipps, Adrian's grandmother, had taught her to play. Annette's childhood dream had
come true. Kind people had blessed her immeasurably, and now she would be able to bless other people in the same way.
"Freely you have received; freely give." (Matthew 10:8)
Illustration Ideas
Here the story will be repeated, broke down with suggestions for illustrations.
You do not necessarily have to follow these suggestions, but be sure to read over this section before you begin
drawing your illustrations.
Don't hesitate to simplify the illustration ideas for very little artists.
Please encourage children to do their very best, according to their individual
abilities,
but remember that we want "Thou Hast Ordained Praise" to be an opportunity for
all ages, and we do not expect "perfect pictures". It is highly encouraged that
children
of all ages get involved.
There are several illustration ideas given for each page.
These are here for you to choose from, or perhaps you will want to come up with your
own ideas. You should do at least one illustration for each page.
If you want to combine several ideas
in one illustration, or if you want to do two
illustrations for some or all of the pages, that is fine too. Be creative!
You may prefer having your children each illustrate
their own book. If you want to have your children illustrate
a book together, that is perfectly fine too. Since each
page can have as many as two illustrations, it is an option to have an older child
and a younger child both draw an
illustration for the
same page.
Once upon a time, there was a lovely little girl named Annette. She lived in the poor end of town. She had a loving
mother and father, and two dear little brother, and in spite of their simple provisions and plain little home, they were
happy together. Daddy often said, "Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife."
Annette's family was a happy and their home was peaceful, though their rooms were little, their clothes were patched, and
their meals were small.
Illustration Ideas: 1) Annette 2) Annette with her whole family 3) You could make the family standing beside a little
house.
There was one thing though that Annette wanted so badly, and that was books. The livingroom shelf was graced with the
family Bible. Every evening Daddy would read to Mama and the children from that great book, and Annette did love to hear
it. And if she was very careful with the thin pages, Mama would let her sit on the sofa and look at it and read about
Abraham and Ruth and Peter and Dorcas. But as much as Annette did love their precious Bible, she wished that they had
other books as well. Once, she had heard that in the big city there was a beautiful library filled with books, but there
was no such thing here where she lived. Another time, she heard someone talking about looking through a catalog and
picking out books to buy. But that was not a possibility either. Imagine having extra money to spend for books! Daddy
reminded her, though, that not all books are good books, and Annette was comforted to know that at least they had the very
best Book of all. But she did wish for colorful story books, too. Daddy and Mama very much wanted to be able to satisfy
her desire, but they did not know how they could do that.
Illustration Ideas: 1) Annette reading the Bible 2) Daddy reading the Bible to the family 3) Annette with a "thinking bubble" that shows pictures of colorful books, or just a simple picture of colorful books.
4) A very small child could just draw a
Bible.
Well, the Heavenly Father who hears the cries of all His little children heard Annette's desire, and He had a surprise
planned for her. One day, where she was outside near her home, she found posted up by the street a colorful sign that said
"Library Coming To Town Soon, at 16 Cherry Street". Sixteen Cherry Street?! That was not far away. The big house at 16
Cherry Street had been for sale now for a long while. Was someone going to buy it and turn it into a library? Annette
hurried to tell her parents. "That's a lovely idea, Annette," Mama said, "But this is a very poor area, and I can't
imagine anyone making a library here." And Daddy said, "Don't get your hopes up too high, dear. It could just be a prank
someone is playing." Annette did not argue with her parents, but she hoped in her heart of hearts that it really was real
and true that there was a library coming to town.
Illustration Ideas: 1) colorful sign posted on a telephone pole 2) You could include Annette in the picture looking at the sign.
3) Annette smiling talking to Mama and Daddy
Somebody had bought the house on Cherry Street. Annette and her family noticed a lot of activity going on at the big
run-down house. Workmen were busy fixing things up and repainting the house. Other people planted flowers out front. And
What was going on inside the house? Nobody knew, but surely something must be. Everyone was curious.
Illustration Ideas: people working on the house at Cherry Street (painters, gardeners, etc.)
One day, several months later, Annette noticed a new sign. It said, "The Cherry Street Library Will Open In One Week."
Annette was not the only one who believed in the library, now. Her parents were excited now too. "I hope it is a very nice
library," Mama said eagerly. "Think! A library in our little end of town!" exclaimed Daddy. "Li-bary?" lisped Annette's
littlest brother.
Illustration Ideas: 1) everyone smiling 2) a new colorful sign on a telephone pole, with the whole family looking at it
smiling
The great day came. A big "Open" flag hung out front. Annette's whole family went to the library together. What a
beautiful place it was! It was hard to believe that it was the same old house that had been sitting there for sale for so
long. There were shelves and shelves of lovely books. There was a cat purring on the sofa by the window. And there was a
piano along one wall. An elderly lady was playing the piano, and her husband was sitting at a desk. He greeted them with
a smile.
Illustration Ideas: 1) the house with a flag hanging out front 2) the inside of the library (could include bookshelves, the piano,
the cat, etc.)
Everybody picked out books that day. Mama found books for the little boys, and Daddy helped Annette find some nice stories.
When they checked out their books, Daddy asked the couple why they had decided to make a library here. "Well, the
Heavenly Father just laid it on our hearts, I guess," responded Mr. Philipps. "My wife and I were driving through this
area one day, and saw this big old house for sale, and my wife said, 'Honey, don't you think that would make a good library?'
We got to thinking about all of the families in this area of town who do not have good reading books, and the love of
Messiah prompted us to take our collection of books and turn them into a library for the folks here. These are the books
we read to our children when they were little. These are the books we read to our grandchildren now. These are the books
my wife and I have read to encourage us to be better people. So we moved here, and brought our books with us. We live
upstairs, and we have made the library downstairs here.
Illustration Ideas: 1) Annette's arms full of books 2) the whole family with their arms full of books 3) elderly Mr. Phillips talking
to the family
Annette's family was very touched by the testimony of the old couple. What a wonderful Summer that was. Every couple days,
the family walked down to Cherry Street and borrowed new books. Daddy still read the Bible to the family every evening,
but now there were also story books to read together. It was always encouraging to see Mr. and Mrs. Philipps too. They were
such a kind couple, and they always encouraged Annette and her family to live for Messiah and walk in the ways of truth and
righteousness. Then there were also Mr. and Mrs. Philipps' children and grandchildren who often came to the library.
They were very nice people, and the children grew fond of each other.
Illustration Ideas: 1) the family walking down the sidewalk towards the library 2) Daddy and Mama reading storybooks to the
children
Years passed by. Annette grew from a little girl to a young woman. As she grew up, she came to have a desire in her heart.
"If I could grow up and find another poor little town, and make a library for other poor children, how wonderful that would
be," she thought. "But how could I do that? I do not have money to buy books for myself. How could I buy books for others?"
Illustration Ideas: Annette as a young woman, with a "thinking bubble" that shows a picture of a library
One evening, Annette's father and mother called her to their bedroom, and spoke to her about something very special. The
Philipps' grandson Adrian had asked for her hand in marriage. Annette was very surprised. Adrian had always seemed to be
a very nice person, and she liked him a lot, but she had never supposed he would ask a poor girl like herself to marry him.
She prayed about it with her parents, and they talked together about it with her brothers, and they all agreed that Adrian
was the man for Annette.
Illustration Ideas: 1) Annette's parents talking to her (Remember in your artwork that she is a young woman now. :-) 2)
Annette praying
Annette and Adrian talked together. "Where would you want to live when we get married?" he asked her. "In an area where
there are a lot of poor people," she answered. "Why?" he asked. "You will not be poor anymore. I will take care of you
now. You will have good clothes and plenty of food. And do you know what else?" he asked. He knew that she loved books.
"Our family will have lots of books. Of course we can still borrow books too from my grandparents, because they have many
excellent books. But I also have lots of books. I have been collecting books for our family." Annette was very happy
about this indeed. "We really should live in a poor area then!" she exclaimed. "Why?" Adrian asked again. He was confused.
Then Annette explained to him that for a long time she had wanted to be like his grandparents and give a library to poor
families who did not have good books. "We could share with them good books that would help them learn of Messiah and his
love," she said. Adrian was pleased to know that Annette admired his grandparents so much and wanted to be like them. He
thought that her idea was a wonderful idea. So Adrian and Annette and their families began to pray that the Heavenly
Father would help them to find a big old house in a poor area of town, that they could turn into a library.
Illustration Ideas: Annette and Adrian talking together
Do you know what? The same Heavenly Father who heard Annette's prayers for books when she was a little girl, heard her
prayers for other boys and girls now. And he looked down on the poor families in a town not far away from Annette's home,
and saw that they needed a kind and loving couple to share with them the gift of a beautiful library. He led Adrian and
Annette to a large house surrounded by poor people, and together with their families, they worked on fixing it up
and painting it and planting flowers and gracing its downstairs rooms with bookshelves and a piano. The people of the town noticed
signs posted up that read, "Library Coming To Town Soon, at 35 Baker Street". Adrian and Annette got married, and after
their honeymoon, they moved into the upstairs of the house. New signs were posted up now, that said, "Library Will Be
Opening In One Week". The great day came. Adrian hung out the open flag and took his place behind the desk to greet people.
Annette, who had learned to play piano from Mrs. Phillips, Adrian's grandmother, sat down and began playing a song. Annette's childhood dream had
come true. Kind people had blessed her immeasurably, and now she would be able to bless other people in the same way.
Illustration Ideas: 1) Annette and Adrian holding hands together in front of their new library 2) the inside of the library
with Annette at the piano and Adrian at the desk
"Freely you have received; freely give." (Matthew 10:8)
Illustration Ideas: Annette handing a book to a child
This book, once it is completed, will actually be a 32-page book. This is the minimum amount of pages we can do for a perfect-bound book. We aim to stick with the smallest number of pages possible, to make it financially easy
for you to be able to get copies of your finished book.