Parables from Nature is truly a "treasure" filled with literary language so picturesque that no pictures are needed. It is one of those books that you will cherish for a lifetime. This is nature as God must have intended it to be - a testimony to HIS glorious beauty, wisdom, and creative power. Every "parable" (there are 29 of them) is a contrast between the wisdom of God, who is the supreme giver of all wisdom, and the wisdom of man.

We began by reading, from the back of the book, a story entitled Birds in the Nest. It is a lovely, but sad truth that some of us unfortunately take a lifetime to learn - the lesson of contentment. It begins with a mother bird sitting upon her nest of eggs ever so delighted in the beauty and "perfect-ness" of her life at that moment. However, her mate who has seen a little more of the world than she, convinces her that the best is yet to come. With this, the poor little mother bird begins to lose her joy and longs for this season to pass. And so the story goes, until the nest is once again empty, and her little children are grown with families of their own. She eventually begins to understand that each phase of life is wonderful and joyous. Mother bird also realizes in the end that her life has come full circle within the loving hand of her Creator. One day she will be united again with those whom she has loved within the Father's House.

I can't think of a more lovely way to introduce nature study to our children. Mrs. Gatty has beautifully combined the lessons of nature and life itself, while weaving scriptural truth throughout. Because this is a reprint of a book originally published from 1855-1871, I was at first concerned that my six-and-a-half-year-old son would not grasp the full meaning of each story. As I asked him to narrate back what we read, I was pleased to find the writing so pure, so descriptive that he was able to do so quite well. He very much enjoyed the readings. Mrs. Woodis has done a wonderful work in bringing this literary treasure to us.