Our Lenten Week Special: Peter Collington’s A Small Miracle

While this wordless picture book by Peter Collington is technically about “Christmas” (received a starred review from The Horn Book calling it ‘the most original Christmas book of the year and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award), I figured that it would not hurt to feature A Small Miracle this Holy Week, or Semana Santa as we call it in the Philippines. We do need this kind of miracle once in a while for our soul’s rest.

The emptiness of the Cupboard in a Season of abundance. While not immediately evident, there are striking contrasts found in the book the more I try to sense its core and message. The first few pages show a heartbreaking lack – of money, of company, of food, of absolutely everything. This old woman is alone on Christmas.

Opening drawers and finding nothing within.

Yet this is happening at a time when people around the world are rejoicing, receiving their cash bonuses, and buying presents and cooking up a storm with food that would eventually end up in the trash because there is so much surplus as the festive season is being celebrated. Yet this old woman with only one frayed coat and her beloved accordion piano braves the winter cold and plays music for shoppers who could not be bothered as they carry expensive presents, their groceries, and their brand new stuff for the season.

My heart broke when I read this page.

Blackness of the Soul and Kindness that Knows no Bounds. Another illustration of this striking contrast is the depiction of this man’s blackness of soul as shown here:

Stealing from the needy, is there anything worse than this? (hmm i can actually thing of worse things, but the point is, this act shows mans cruelty)

As if it is not enough to steal from the needy, this evil man goes to ransack the chapel, steals from the collection box, and leaves the Nativity figures strewn about the floor as if a tornado just hit the inside of the chapel.

Despite this old woman’s hunger, exhaustion, and seeming helplessness, she mustered up the strength to rearrange the holy figures with gentleness and such an air of kindness that seems so foreign in this world nowadays. As you despair at the man’s irreverence and utter disregard for other people’s well-being – you rejoice at the old woman’s purity of spirit.

I would leave it to you to discover what the ‘small miracle’ in the book was and how her kind gesture as noted above was rewarded in such an unexpected and beautiful way. I was choking back tears by the time I finished the book, the affective wallop found in the last few pages is so powerful that it makes one wonder about the fragility of reality and how rare simple acts of kindnesses are nowadays.

Lenten reflections. I usually spend my Holy Week doing nothing but read, pray, go to various churches, watch video clips, and listen to lovely music – and this goes on for an entire week. When we moved to Singapore, things changed quite a bit since now I spend the first half of the week doing nothing but mark mark mark papers from the graduate courses that I have taught during the semester, with only Good Friday as the official rest day.

This book has reminded me of the essence of this season regardless of where we happen to be at present. While technically a Christmas miracle, I find that this book has a universal appeal to it that strikes a core into one’s being, reminding one of what love is, the colors/shades/hues of goodness, and kindness that requires nothing in return.

While we may have different belief systems and celebrate different festivals and celebrations throughout the year – I believe we are united in our search for and celebration of benevolence, grace, and humanity. This book has all three. Advance Happy Easter to our Christian/Catholic friends.

Click on the image to be taken to Peter Collingtons official website where this image was taken.

About the Author. Peter Collington is an award-winning author who grew up on the South Coast of England and studied photography at Bournemouth College of Art. He created a number of wordless picture books such as The Angel And The Soldier Boy and On Christmas Eve, shortlisted for the Smarties Prize (source: David Higham Company). If you wish to know more about his work, click here to be taken to his official website.

I also found a videoclip (short teaser) of A Small Miracle by Organa Kids Collection. There is now a video adaptation of this lovely book. Check it out:

A Small Miracle by Peter Collington. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1997. Book borrowed from the library.

Picture Book Challenge Update: 62 0f 72