Billy and the Big Book
When Billy wins a chameleon at the county fair, his reluctance to read quickly disappears as he discovers that caring for his new pet requires learning about it from books.
The Best Sermon I Ever Heard
(Written for The Best Sermon I Ever Heard series in St. Joseph’s Magazine) By Donna Hruska It was Pentecost Sunday and our first week-end at our new summer cottage in Elcho, Wisconsin. Slightly late and somewhat rumpled in our vacation clothes, we slipped into a side door of the obviously new church, more in the …
The Ghost in the Black Mask
This is the same charming children's story about twins Jeffrey and Jennifer discovering that their mysterious "ghost" is actually a clever family of raccoons who have learned to break into their garage at night.
So You Want to Sew
In this witty 1960s essay, Donna Hruska warns aspiring seamstresses that learning to sew well is a double-edged skill that will forever ruin their ability to buy ready-made clothes with blissful ignorance.
Revelation
Donna tells the touching story of how witnessing her mischievous little brother Joe's sudden transformation into a reverent child during his First Holy Communion finally helped her understand what divine grace really looks like in action.
Where’s George
In this charming children's story by Donna Hruska, eleven-year-old Karen enlists the help of neighborhood friends to search for her missing pet boa constrictor George, only to discover him hiding in the most obvious place—curled around the record player turntable where he'd been avoiding the rock music he hated.
Sophy – The Dream Shoes
A shy, underprivileged girl named Sophy finds a ten-dollar bill and uses it to buy the dream shoes she's been admiring in a store window, but her conscience leads her to confess and make things right with the money's rightful owner.