Beautiful – Life Lessons For Us All

The Unextraordinary Life Of Sophie Simpleton by P.G James is the most beautiful Christian childrens novel that I adored. It is suitable for ages eight years and over but whatever your age, this is a book that you will enjoy.

As I read the book it reminded me of Milly Molly Mandy (first published in 1925) which I read as a child, I read to my children and I read to my granddaughters. The Unextraordinary Life Of Sophie Simpleton is a book with a timeless appeal. It is a book to read to each generation. It is a book that will last forever in a memory. “Stories are for telling.”

Sophie Simpleton is nearly nine years old. She is small in stature with a huge heart. Her heart connects with the hearts of others. She is pure in spirit, always speaking kind words that bring life, even when others do not deserve her kindness.

Life has had to be overcome for Sophie Simpleton. Her older brother is often ill, meaning she is passed over and ignored. She also has a lazy eye so her good eye is patched (my daughter had the same so I knew what Sophie Simpleton was going through). And she is the victim of many bullies at school. “Sophie’s teacher seemed oblivious to the suffering… Her classroom felt more like a jail than a place of education.”

Sophie Simpleton seems to be invisible but there are those who ‘see’ her. Mrs Templestowe is kindness personified. She teaches Sophie Simpleton many life lessons. The Captain, though he is partially sighted also sees Sophie Simpleton. And Jesus sees her as she has an encounter with the living God. We are reminded that Jesus wants us to be like little children and come to Him.