One Little Match
Illustrated by Dan Burr
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Excepted publication: March 3rd, 2014
ISBN13: 978-1-60907-868-3
Hardcover: 32 pages
Reviewed by Mindy
Inside Book Jacket
Thomas S. Monson loved spending summers at his family’s cabin in Utah’s Vivian Park. One summer day, he and his best friend, Danny, decided to clear a field so they could gather with their friends and have a campfire that night. The tall, stubborn weeds would not pull easily. So Tommy had the idea to burn them up instead.
He knew he shouldn’t use matches without permission from his parents. But he ignored the feeling that warned him of the danger and raided the matchbox in the cabin. Back in the field, he lit one little match and prepared to set the parched June grass ablaze…
Readers of all ages will resonate with the wonderful true story that demonstrates the blessings of obedience and “the dangers that can come from something as small as one little match.”
My Review
I loved this talk from Pres. Monson when he gave it at conference. I also love that some stories from conference are later made into books that can be shared often. The illustrations in this book are amazing and the beautifully drawn pages depict so well the story being told. I love the story of the one little match, because I believe we all can relate to it. Hopefully not with the setting of fires, but showing the fact how something in our lives could be set off so quickly by something small. If we but stay obedient to gospel principles and listen to the words of the prophets, we will be blessed.
About the Author
President Thomas S. Monson has served as the sixteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder-day Saints since 2008. He was called as an Apostle in October 1963 at the age of thirty-six. After serving as second counselor to President Ezra Taft Benson and then President Howard W. Hunter, he served as first counselor to President Gordon B. Hinckley from 1995-2008.
Thomas Spencer Monson was born to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson on August 21st, 1927, in Salt Lake City. Following his service in the U.S. Navy near the close of World War II, he graduated cum laude from the University of Utah and earned an MBA from Brigham Young University. He had a distinguished career in the publishing industry.
He served as president of the Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962 and was a member of several general Church committees before becoming an Apostle.
He married Francis Beverly Johnson in the Salt Lake Temple in 1948. They are the parent of two sons and one daughter. They have eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
About the Illustrator
Dan Burr earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Utah State University and a master’s degree from Syracuse University. He and his wife, Patti, are raising their two children and numerous farm animals on twelve acres of river-bottom land in Tetonia, Idaho. Dan is a well-known Christian illustrator who also specializes in wildlife renderings. A few of the books Dan has illustrated are The Miracle of Wooden Shoes, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and The Mansion.
Purchase Links
Deseret Book / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Seagull Book