Little One, Maid of Israel

“Oh Joseph,” said Little One, “I have been praying you would see that. Dear Grandfather Reuben said the very same thing to me the day he died.”
Abu looked at the brother and sister. “This God of yours is something, I must say. He certainly sounds like a God worth knowing.”
“He is, Abu,” said Joseph, “He really is!”

Little One, Maid of Israel by Bill Harvey is a biblical fiction based on II Kings 5, following the maid of Israel who told Naaman’s wife about Elisha, resulting in Naaman’s healing. It’s meant for a much younger audience than most of the books I review, and as such this review will be shorter than usual.

Plot

Living on a small farm with her mother and Grandfather Reuben, Little One leads a quiet life. That is, until a Syrian patrol arrives, resulting in the accidental deaths of both her guardians. With no one else to leave her with, the patrol takes Little One back to Syria with them.

Along the way, she impresses them all with her quiet service and unshakable faith. Little One leaves a great impact on all members of the patrol. Once back in Syria, she is given as a servant in the house of Naaman’s wife—and quickly becomes the favorite servant in the house.

But Naaman’s wife, Mahrrah, while comforted by Little One’s sympathy and service, is still saddened daily by her leprous husband. That is, until Little One reveals that there may be a cure in Samaria—and the cure has much to do with the faith that she radiates to the whole household.

For the most part, Little One, Maid of Israel is an extended version of the events detailed in II Kings 5. There are no surprises or plot twists there. But between Little One’s arrival and Naaman’s healing, another servant of Naaman’s wife discovers an appalling plot against the king—one that would frame Naaman and land him in jail or on the gallows.

This plot is very straightforward, and other than the interlude that provides the only surprises of the book, is already known by most readers. But the simplicity is intended; this is meant for young readers.

Characters

Because of both the shortness and target age of the book, the characters are not incredibly complex. Little One is quiet, faithful, and a perfect role model; after she comes to her new home, she’s all but set on the shelf until Naaman’s healing. King Benhadad, king of Syria, is generous and kind to Naaman’s family. Mahrrah tries to be bright, but at times her husband’s plight darkens her mood.

There’s little to say in this section, so I’ll move on.

Theme & Content Warnings

The unifying theme of the book seems to be faith and trusting what God says through any circumstances. Little One has to trust God to help her live in a foreign nation where her God is unknown, and Naaman has to trust Elisha’s instructions.

Little One is also a role model of service and respect, showing what a strong faith looks like.

The only content warning I might give is that one passage mentions the “unpleasant manner” in which some would-be assassins are questioned. No details of this are given. Immediately after this, it remarks on them being hung on high gallows for all the city to see.

Overall

To be perfectly honest, I did not particularly enjoy this book. But my critiques are irrelevant in the face of the story’s audience and purpose. In light of that, I recommend this as a clean, quick read for kids around 7-10. Teen readers would likely not find interest in this.

As always, links are below, but if you want to buy this book then Amazon may not be the way to go—the paperback copy is $20. Curriculum Express will probably be the way to go.

And as always, thanks for reading, and I’ll write you in the next one!