The Rare, Tiny Flower illustrates a deeply touching and thoughtful poem by Kitty O’Meara that, in the form of a parable, celebrates difference, tolerance, and unity. Written by O’Meara in Fall 2020, The Rare, Tiny Flower is in many ways thematically similar to And the People Stayed Home in that it is a commentary on difficult current situations in our world and offers hope for resolution and growth.

 

The poem features a mysterious flower that looks different to each viewer, which leads to strife as everyone insists that their vision is “right.” Leaders and even a botanist are unable to agree on the nature of the flower—it takes a young girl to point out that the flower is, in fact, quite multidimensional. Remarkably, she has the ability to be heard by the squabbling masses, who then see beyond their fighting and commit to connecting with one another.

O’Meara’s thoughtful poem includes people realizing and voicing this important lesson:

So much to fix,
too many false starts,
no time to waste
in uniting our hearts.
All of creation
is precious and rare,
and everyone has
a color to share!

“There are many problems facing the world today, and we’ve sadly seen, again and again, that when people are overwhelmed as they may choose to allow anxiety to mute their spirits and gifts,” O’Meara says. “When voices rise in anger and fear, no one can be heard. Reason and imagination depart. In The Rare, Tiny Flower, I wanted to show that every voice, every gift is here to meet the world’s needs. Space and time for listening and peaceful reflection are vital. We need to grant this to ourselves and others so we can reunite and get to work respectfully and creativity.”

 

* 2022 NYC BIG BOOK AWARD WINNER * 2022 WORLD ILLUSTRATION AWARDS SHORTLIST

"Kitty O'Meara's The Rare, Tiny Flower, illustrated by Quim Torres, relies on metaphor to introduce children to the often trivial reasons for war." —The New York Times

“Kitty O'Meara is the poet laureate of the pandemic”—The Observer

“The Rare Tiny Flower speaks to both adults and children.” –10thirtysix, Milwaukee PBS

This timely and timeless tale by Kitty O’Meara, like her best-selling book about the pandemic, And the People Stayed Home, offers wisdom relevant to difficult current situations and provides hope for resolution and growth.



The Rare, Tiny Flower is a beautifully produced picture book that explores themes of difference, divisiveness, tolerance, and unity as well as the agency of children through a thoughtful parable told in rhyming verse and accompanied by deeply felt illustrations.

This rhyming poem features a mysterious flower in the midst of a forest that appears as a different color to each viewer, which leads to escalating strife as everyone insists that their vision is “right.” World leaders and even botanists are unable to agree on the nature of the flower, and declare war as a way to resolve the conflict. It takes the vision and bravery of a young girl to point out that the flower is, in fact, quite multi-dimensional. Remarkably, she has the ability to be heard by the squabbling masses, who then see beyond their fighting and begin to rebuild bridges of communication and commit to connecting with one another and respecting varying points of view.

Kitty O’Meara’s thoughtful poem includes people realizing and voicing this important lesson:

“Maybe there are
other colors to see;
what’s lovely to you
could be lovely to me.”

O’Meara is the author of a bestselling book about the pandemic, And the People Stayed Home, based on her poem that went viral. The Rare, Tiny Flower also speaks to current world events as well as truths about human nature. O’Meara’s wise words are paired with evocative illustrations by Quim Torres.