A Story Detective

by Anna Galeniece

Imagine growing up when there were almost no books for kids—no colorful storybooks, no devotionals, no school readers. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But that’s how life was when James and Ellen White’s children were young. There were no Adventist schools yet, and the only publication specifically designed for teens was a small magazine called The Youth’s Instructor.

One Sabbath afternoon Ellen White gathered her children around her. One of them asked, “Mother, can you read us a story today?” 

She paused. “I wish I had more stories just for you,” she said kindly. “But maybe . . . I can find some.” And right then an idea was born.

Mrs. White wanted her children to hear stories that were interesting and taught lessons about trusting God, kindness, and honesty. Since those kinds of books were hard to find, she decided to become a story detective. She searched through magazines and newspapers, carefully reading page after page. Sometimes she would smile and say, “Oh, this one is perfect!” Then—snip!—out came the scissors.

Back then publishers often exchanged magazines with one another. These trades were called “exchanges.” After others finished reading them, the magazines were passed along to Mrs. White. Sitting at a table with scissors, glue, and lots of patience, she clipped out the best stories and pasted them into big homemade scrapbooks.

One evening James White watched her working and asked, “Another scrapbook already?” Ellen White laughed softly and replied, “The children need good stories.”

These weren’t ordinary scrapbooks. They were filled from cover to cover with stories that Mrs. White thought were just right for kids. Before long she had a whole stack of them!

As the years went on, Ellen White and her helpers discovered something exciting: “What if other families could read these stories too?” So by 1875 she had collected stories for 20 small booklets, each with bright covers. They were designed for children ages 5 to 12 and sold for just a few cents, making them affordable for families. Parents were delighted: “These are perfect for Sabbath reading!”.

The books became so popular that even more were made for younger children, older kids, and teens.

Some stories were shared again in church magazines. 

If you looked at Mrs. White’s scrapbooks later, you’d see holes where stories had been clipped out again to bless even more people.

Ellen White didn’t stop there. Soon four big books called Sabbath Readings for the Home Circle were planned. She and her husband gathered books from everywhere, reading thousands of pages and choosing only the very best stories and poems. Ultimately, many storybooks were printed, all because one caring mother, even while serving God as His messenger, took time to gather stories for her children.

One small idea, mixed with love and effort, can grow into something amazing. You never know how what you do today may bless others tomorrow—until you begin, trusting God to use it for good.

The story is based one found in Ellen G. White: The Lonely Years: 1876-1891, by Arthur L. White, pp. 52-55.