Lily Trotter

If you’ve never heard of Lilias Trotter, here is a lovely little introduction which you can share with your kids. Lily, the Girl Who Could See  is beautifully illustrated by Tim Ladwig and sweetly told by Sally Oxley & Tim Ladwig. It is the story of the Victorian English woman, student of the great artist John Ruskin,  who chose to give her life ministering in Algeria and North Africa rather than follow Ruskin’s encouragement to become a famous artist. And of course, if you have heard of Lilias Trotter, you will definitely want to get this book, even if you don’t have children.

Then go ahead and find out more about this impressive lady, and order A Blossom in the Desert by Miriam Huffman. This book includes some of Trotter’s lovely sketches and paintings, as well as samples of her writing from her diaries and journals. From there you may as well go whole hog and order her biography,  A Passion for the Impossible, by Miriam Huffman Rockness, because Lilias Trotter is a woman worth knowing.