Read this when
The Book of Ruth
'Whither thou goest, I will go.' Said by a daughter-in-law to her grieving mother-in-law. Chosen family is ancient.
Who it's for
Naomi loses her husband and both sons in a foreign land and comes home so bitter she asks to be called Mara ('bitter').
Feelings it meets
What it is
The Book of Ruth is a short book of the Hebrew Bible that scholars generally date to the Persian period (c. 550–330 BCE). During a famine, Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem move to Moab with their two sons, who marry the Moabite women Ruth and Orpah. After Naomi's husband and both sons die, she decides to return home; Orpah turns back, but Ruth vows to stay with Naomi and adopt her people and God.
Where to find it
The King James and other older translations are public domain and free online (Project Gutenberg KJV, Bible Gateway). Modern translations are widely available in print and libraries.
Before you start
Heads up: Deaths of a husband and sons.
Age: Ages 9+
If you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds
