"Jessica's First Prayer" and "Jessica's Mother" by Hesba Stretton is a late 19th-century story about a young girl named Jessica, who struggles with poverty and the absence of her mother. The story highlights compassion, faith, and turning things around as Jessica finds kindness in Daniel, a coffee-stall keeper, while dealing with her difficult life at home. At the start, Jessica, a poor child, watches Daniel's coffee stall on a rainy day, looking hungry. Daniel sees her and gives her coffee and bread, starting a friendship. Jessica tells him her mother is gone and that she wants food and safety. Readers see her tough home life, filled with neglect and possible danger from her mother. The scene is set for a story about Jessica's challenges and her hope for a better life despite hard times.
Jessica's First Prayer; and, Jessica's Mother
By Hesba Stretton
In a world of poverty and neglect, a young girl's life changes when a simple act of generosity sparks an unlikely friendship and a glimmer of hope.
Summary
About the AuthorHesba Stretton was the pseudonym of Sarah Smith, an evangelical English author of religious books for children. These were highly popular. By the late 19th century Jessica's First Prayer had sold a million and a half copies – ten times more than Alice in Wonderland. She concocted "Hesba Stretton" from the initials of herself and four surviving siblings, along with the name of a Shropshire village she visited, All Stretton, where her sister Anne owned a house, Caradoc Lodge.
Hesba Stretton was the pseudonym of Sarah Smith, an evangelical English author of religious books for children. These were highly popular. By the late 19th century Jessica's First Prayer had sold a million and a half copies – ten times more than Alice in Wonderland. She concocted "Hesba Stretton" from the initials of herself and four surviving siblings, along with the name of a Shropshire village she visited, All Stretton, where her sister Anne owned a house, Caradoc Lodge.
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