When Mary Says Yes

Lindsey Mitzel and her children enjoyed Gracie Jagla's new picture book about how we can imitate Mary by saying yes to God.

When Mary Says Yes

by Gracie Jagla; illustrated by Natalia Carcache
Publisher: OSV Kids

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“If I say yes, I can be like Mary too!”

Glowing, my 8-year-old finished reading Gracie Jagla’s new book, When Mary Says Yes, and spoke about loving all Mary’s little and big yeses, and how she can learn to say yes to little and big things in her life too. Her younger sister, while reading with me, stopped me, saying, “You’re getting closer to Jesus right now because of all the ‘yeses’ you’re reading!”

This lovely book is an innovative approach to teaching children about Mary’s willingness to follow God, and how they can learn to follow God too — saying yes to Him, in easy and difficult ways. Ms. Jagla writes,

Mary is not the only one who can say yes to God. We can say yes too! With every yes we say, we bring Jesus into our hearts and into the world a little more.

When Mary Says Yes introduces Mary as a young girl with her parents, Saints Joachim and Anne, and progresses through events that may have taken place in her life, showing how she says “Yes” to God’s invitations to her to follow Him more closely. Some of these invitations involve daily life, while others involve saying “Yes” to creating life.

What we loved about this book

I especially love two aspects of this book. Mary is introduced in a very interactive way. Throughout the story, as readers, we’re asked to think, respond, and even say “Hi” to directly to the illustrated Mary waving back on the page. While my elementary-aged kids didn’t necessarily want to respond to the story’s prompts out loud, my preschooler and toddler were more than happy to oblige. This format drew in their little minds and hearts in a beautiful way, and helped them engage with being called to action, and into a relationship with Mary.

I also really like that Ms. Jagla thought to walk through choices Mary said, “Yes” to in Jesus’ life that were easy (like snuggling together), and incredibly difficult (like watching Jesus suffer and die). There is no emphasis on suffering and death and the pictures seem gentle to me, though accurate. However, though the mysteries of the Rosary guide us through major events and choices in Mary’s life, sometimes it’s hard to remember the vast number of moments in between, when Mary said yes, whether difficult or easy.

This book imagines some moments, though highly plausible, and I think they are wonderful examples for children, as they begin their relationship with Mary, and can begin to explore who she is, and what her relationship with Jesus was really like. These moments especially come to life through the hand and mind of Natalie Carcache, who beautifully illustrated this book. The artwork is whimsical, endearing, and inviting. Mary appears joyful, smiling, and at peace, throughout the story, in such a way that encourages curiosity as to what (or who) is behind her joy and peace.

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I am very grateful for Ms. Jagla’s “Yes” to God in writing this children’s book, which teaches about Mary’s relationship with God and with us, how she says, “Yes” to God in small and big ways, and how we can learn to say, “Yes” to him more too. The book is beautifully thought out, written and illustrated. I highly recommend it, especially for children aged 2-10. As a small part also discusses the Nativity, it would also make a wonderful Advent family study or a Christmas present!

Ask for When Mary Says Yes at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, OSV Kids.

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When Mary Says Yes