Words.  They matter. A lot!

True words. Kind words.

Written words. Spoken words.

When my heart is broken by the harm that untrue words are causing, I go to my books. When the world is spewing ugly words that lead to ugly actions, I go to my books. #strengththroughstories

Last night I reread the ending to this beautiful book that is more relevant now than ever. The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill was a perfect book match with “The gift of Words” by Peter H Reynolds. So with recent heartbreaking news of Renee Good’s murder, I decided to share them together. Jan 11, 2026

Both books about children who notice simple loving solutions; things that get at the heart of the problem. Something we adults miss sometimes.

The Gift of Words by Peter H. Reynolds is as relevant in the celebrating of December as it is in January’s new-years resolution-ing.

Do you have a word you have decided to focus on this year?

I believe the words in these 2 books could help heal our aching country.

Read on for why:

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill is a simple yet profound story of a kind Ogress, who needs a new place to live. So as an immigrant, newcomer she secretly bakes cakes and pies for her new neighbors, leaving them on their doorsteps at night, seeking to make them happy and be welcomed.

Yet there is also a new Mayor with golden hair who is charming and secretly loves gold, deceiving the townspeople to give up more and more of it.

After the library mysteriously burns down, the townspeople stop talking with each other, they stay in their houses getting poorer as they give more gold to the mayor and look for someone to blame. So the Mayor writes words on signs ”books are dangerous”,”your mayor knows what’s best for you”, ”ogres are dangerous”, “perhaps we should build a wall to keep her out”.

After the Mayor’s words spark a frenzied midnight raid that harms the innocent Ogress.  It is the children and the crows who see what’s really happening and come up with a novel solution that encourages the townspeople to come out of their houses and talk to each other– to feel, to see, to wonder “What is a Neighbor”?  These words along with the children’s clever solution, inspire them to share, to listen and then to realize and even to embrace.

Is it a solution that could be helpful now?

I would love to hear what you think of the children’s creative solution. When you read it, you will see why it is particularly special to me;)

Kelly Barnhill’s book makes a wonderful family read aloud for ages 9+ with a simple yet profound story that can also be read and discussed with much older kids or even adults;)

Find more of our family favorite read alouds for multiple ages here. at the bottom of stories by ages.