After months of reading Sarah Mackenzie’s picture book recommendations and book club guides on Read-Aloud Revival, I was thrilled to read her very own picture book, A Little More Beautiful.

The story follows an old woman, Lou Alice, who decides to do something each day to make the world a little more beautiful. While taking her daily walk past the city hall, she decides to tell the man-in-charge that she would like to plant a garden. Although he tells Lou Alice she can’t plant a garden, Lou Alice does it anyway. Under the moonlight, she plants a beautiful garden that makes everybody smile without quite knowing why.

When Lou Alice is moved into a nursing home, a little girl decides to take things into her own hands and make the world a little more beautiful herself, with courage and kindness.

The more times I read this book (to a chorus of “Again! Again!), the more I enjoyed it. It is a simple story, but the illustrations are lovely and full of little details I didn’t notice the first read around. My three-year-old was engaged through each read, pointing out different parts of the story and asking questions about Lou Alice.

The biggest question she had was about why Lou Alice had to leave her home. I had a talk with her about what it means to grow old and how sometimes people need extra care when they can’t take care of themselves, and how maybe Lou Alice didn’t have any family to take care of her. She then asked questions about her grandparents, her dad and me and if we will get old. She was satisfied, but it is something to keep in mind if your children are particularly sensitive.

A Little More Beautiful is a beautiful celebration of community, beauty and life. It is definitely one of our favorite stories, and so appropriate for spring time!

Suggested activities:

If you enjoy podcasts, check out Read-Aloud Revival’s podcast about the making of A Little More Beautiful.

Sarah Mackenzie has a book club guide available on Read-Aloud Revival Premium.

Take a walk around your neighborhood. Is there a project you can do to make things more beautiful, like pick up trash or plant a garden in your yard?

Write a thank-you note to somebody who makes your life more beautiful.

Visit a nursing home with your children.