The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

by Nicolas Jeter, Sara Ugolotti (Illustrations)

On an island in the Seine, a little girl plants a garden―but not a garden of flowers. It will be a garden of people, she Paris. And in the center of that garden will stand its guardian, a grand cathedral carved from stone and roofed with the majestic Notre Dame de Paris. Alas, the garden will change, as people must. The girl sees kings and revolutions, empires and democracies, wars and tragedies. There are the best of times, and there are the worst. Through it all, the light of Notre Dame keeps hope bright. But when fire strikes Notre Dame itself, the little girl is grief stricken. It seems all light has gone out―until her beloved people discover what she has planted within them all along. In the spirit of The Little Prince , The Girl and the Cathedral is a moving story about life, freedom, love, loss, and the glory of new beginnings. It is a story about Notre Dame, but much deeper, it is a story about all that Notre Dame stands for. The book includes a fold-out timeline of Notre Dame's history with period paintings and photographs. Adults and kids alike will treasure this stunning, heartwarming tribute to the cathedral of Notre Dame.

Genres: Picture Books, France, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Art, Paris

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2020

Reviews

[Lauren]

A really sweet picture book that outlines the basic history of Notre-Dame from its founding to present day-ish. The story is told from the point of view of a little girl who is a “gardener” and plants “flowers” that grow into the city of Paris, then the cathedral, and more. She adds things like Hope, love, fraternity, loyalty, etc to her “garden” and watches it grow. Dark things can also happen in a garden; like war and fire. But because of the Good Things planted there, Notre Dame and her people endure.

Beautiful illustrations and a good amount of text - definitely upper level readers or for read aloud’s. I liked the message of the story as well, the Good Things and how to take care of a community.

[Jeimy]

This book exemplifies why I love picture books: In less than 50 pages the author has created a stunning (both visually and lyrically) allegory. At face value, the book is about a girl tending a garden, watching nature take its course, and sustaining the hope that all will turn out as it should (even through the darkest moments).

[Lauren]

I have absolutely no idea how I feel about this book. It is creatively and well done; however, I feel very strange about having a paucity of religious symbolism and undertones in a book about this great cathedral. In all its good intentions and good writing and beautiful illustrations, I think it still lacks the depths of substance it could have had with a rootedness in the richness of the Tradition within church history. So, all in all, I think it’s beautiful and creative but lacking.

[Margaret]

A lovely book with beautiful illustrations.

[Robin]

Fanciful story equating Paris to a garden and Notre Dame the finest flower therein, surviving many dangers.

[Gina House]

4.5🌟 Beautiful and educational!

This gloriously illustrated picture book has a lovely fantasy-like story based on the history of the Notre Dame in Paris, France.

I loved the full color illustrations on the endpapers of both the front and the back of the book. They show and explain the architecture of the Notre Dame, as well as including a timeline of its history.

I was able to see the outside of Notre Dame myself in May 2024, but I hope to return to Paris someday and explore the impressive and breathtaking interior.

This is a wonderful book to add to my Paris book collection. Highly recommended!

[Dhanashri Matondkar]

Initially I thought the book would take us on a chronological journey of the making of the famous cathedral. It turned out to be a lovely journey of hope and joy and comfort instead. There is a fascinating illustration infographic at the end of the book with a timeline I was seeking. The illustrations are lovely and the narration more so. Loved this book, a must read. The message of hope is strong and invincible

[Ash.O]

If Paris and Notre Dame were a garden that grew from seeds, this would be their story. The narrator and a little girl speak throughout the ages as the garden of Paris thrives, experiences tragedy, and thrives again. It is a hopeful story of resilience.

[Gussy]

“One must never stop planting Good Things”.
What a beautiful way to take us through the journey that Paris and Notre Dame have experienced together.
Absolutely loved this stunning book with its equally incredible pictures.

[Natalie]

Surprisingly well written for a book intended for children. The artwork is BEAUTIFUL. I learned a lot about Notre Dame from the inside of the cover too.

[Heather]

Pros: The cover! The illustrations! The illustrations are Caldecott quality! The front inside cover —has a diagram of the cathedral, and the back inside cover — has a timeline of the cathedral.

Cons: The author told a story about a Christian cathedral that had no mention of Christ… or even the Virgin Mary— who is the cathedral’s namesake. In short, the author wrote a secular book about a religious subject. Heartbreaking to me.

[Natalie]

Received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Mrs. Lynch Library]

Beautiful.

[Lauren]

This book is beautiful!

[Lynne Marie]

Abstract, but beautiful in so many ways!

[Jessica]

This book is so lovely and magical. Paris and Notre Dame are an eternal garden.