The Littlest Drop

By Sascha Alper, illustrated by Jerry and Brian Pinkney. Anne Schwartz Books, 2025. 40 pages. $18.99/hardcover; $10.99/eBook. Recommended for ages 3–7.

A simple tale, The Littlest Drop brings our attention to how everyone has something to offer, and in  working together, using those various gifts, we can overcome obstacles. Set on an African savanna “home to all of the animals”—a place where there is “room for everyone,” big and small—we meet a hummingbird building her nest in preparation for laying eggs. Not far away disaster strikes when a small spark lands on a leaf and grows into a raging inferno. The animals shelter near the river, except for the hummingbird who begins to carry water in her small beak one drop at a time to the fire. The climax of the story comes not when the fire is finally extinguished by a collaboration of all the animals but when the community confronts the hummingbird in disbelief and derision at her small efforts, telling her, “You are just a small bird,” to which she responds, “I am doing what I can.”

Generational love is woven through the story. The tiny mother-to-be is first joined in her efforts by a grandmother elephant who recognizes what the fire will take from her grandchildren. Soon all the animals are doing what they can. The story does not shy away from the challenges the animals face, even after they begin to work together. Their fear is named; the fire rages and roars despite their efforts; the animals tire. Readers and listeners will find feelings and experiences they may relate to, especially children who often hear the word “just” used to describe them and their actions: “just” a child, “just” playing, “just” learning.

This story’s message about the importance of contributions from all sizes of creatures holds questions for us humans, too. How can children contribute to our care of the earth and one another? What particular gifts might they bring to worship and witness in a community of Friends? When we expand to include young voices alongside older ones—valuing both the littlest drop and a trunk full of water—we are stronger at our tasks, including listening for Spirit.

In the author’s note, we learn that Sascha Alper was inspired to write this book by a parable she heard from one of her heroes, Wangari Maathai, who herself first heard the indigenous Quechua people’s story in Japan and carried it into her environmental activism in Kenya. The Green Belt Movement, founded by Maathai to address deforestation, is a topic Friends might explore in children’s religious education programs, as it aligns with concerns for stewardship, social justice, and peace. I recently read the picture book Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Cullerton Johnson (2010) to the children gathered at a quarterly meeting, and we found many connections and questions to wonder about as Friends. The two books would be wonderful to read side by side as part of a thematic exploration of caring for the community and the earth.

Picture books can truly be for all ages, and adults who read this one to a child will find delight in the gorgeous, rollicking artwork. Here, too, is a generational story of co-creation and love. Artist Jerry Pinkney passed away before finishing the project, leaving behind unfinished sketches; his son Brian completed the work. This collaboration seems fitting for a story about seeing a need and taking up the cause: working together in shared spaces to make the world a more just, safe, and beautiful place. It is a message of hope and love that we need to share with our children these days and always.

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Melinda Wenner Bradley lives in southeastern Pennsylvania and is a member of West Chester Meeting. She cofounded the Quaker Religious Education Collaborative and Faith & Play Stories. The leadings of her public ministry include nurture for children’s spiritual lives, care for families, and encouraging all ages to worship together in meeting communities.