Tiny Wonders: Petook and the Quiet Graces of Eastertide
In memory of Pope Francis, and in thanksgiving for the graces still blooming.
Part of the Tiny Wonders series: short reflections on children’s books, faith, and everyday holiness.
Before today's Tiny Wonder, I want to pause and remember Pope Francis. As we grieve his passing, it feels even more important to notice the small signs of hope God plants among us — in the spring air, in the laughter of children, and in the quiet beauty of stories.May he rest in peace, and may our hearts stay tender to the wonders still blooming.
In these first weeks after Easter, I’ve been noticing how grace moves quietly — not in fanfare, but in small, shining ways. The San Antonio weather still hasn’t turned hot, and my children seem to have a little more spring in their step (pun intended) as we move through these brighter, gentler days after Lent.
Yesterday, we wandered together through our parish festival. They ran outside to the bouncy houses, then back inside to the games and the tiny country store — a little shop our parish creates each year to sell odds and ends for charity — moving back and forth not from heat or hurry, but from sheer delight
At our parish, we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation around this time, and it always feels like another flowering of hope, a reminder that God's "yes" is still alive in the world.
It feels like something good has been reached together — like Lent has softened the ground of our hearts, making us ready to notice the small joys again. Maybe you’ve felt that too.
This week’s Tiny Wonder is Petook: The Rooster Who Met Jesus by Caryll Houselander, with illustrations by Tomie dePaola. Originally published in 1959, this tender story was reissued in 2021 by Ignatius Press — and it’s easy to see why it deserves its place again. You can find the book here.
Petook tells the story of a rooster who once watched a young boy, Jesus, quietly admiring his chicks in the garden. Years later, Petook witnesses the Crucifixion, not understanding but sensing that something vast and sorrowful is taking place.
Moved by love, Petook gathers his chicks close, guarding life in the midst of death, keeping vigil in his own small, faithful way.
One of the most beautiful lines reads:
“He did not know why he was afraid, but he stayed close to his children and watched, watched.”
Even after Christ’s death, Petook’s steadfast waiting hints at the hope of the Resurrection. It’s a story of patience, tenderness, and the mysterious ways even the smallest creatures share in Christ’s passion — and His promise of new life.
Tomie dePaola’s illustrations bring Houselander’s luminous prose to life.
There’s something almost sacramental in the way he paints the natural world —the softness of feathers, the light rising in the garden.
It’s the kind of book that fits this season perfectly, not in a loud way, but in the quiet way a garden grows when no one is watching.
Maybe that’s one of Eastertide’s secret graces: Noticing that the stone is already rolled away, the tomb already empty, and life — holy, astonishing life — already beginning again. And maybe that noticing, that tenderness toward life, is part of the legacy Pope Francis leaves us too: A heart soft enough to keep watch, and brave enough to keep hoping.
Stories like Petook help me hold onto that hope — reminding me that even the smallest moments are touched by grace. Is there a story that has helped you notice the quiet miracles of this season?
In hope and holy curiosity,
LuElla
Lovely reflection on a wonderful book. I was tickled to find a copy of Petook at a thrift store, and even more tickled to see that Ignatius Press started reprinting it not long after that. A blessed Eastertide to you and yours!