If you were to ask my kids, “What is one story you remember from General Conference?” Almost all of them would answer, “When Pres. Monson talked about lighting a fire when he was a boy.”

The book One Little Match expounds on the story adding more details about the boy Thomas S. Monson and his best friend, Danny. They spent their summers with their families in cabins at Vivian Park. The summer young Tommy was eight, he and Danny decide to hold an evening campfire for their friends. All they need to do in preparation is clear a patch of dried June grass.

The stubborn weeds were hard to pull, no matter how hard the boys tried. Tommy gets an idea to burn a small patch instead, even though he knows he is not allowed to play with matches. You can guess the result!

Tommy and Danny learned an important lesson that day that obedience to your parents will keep you safe. This story is so memorable for so many because the moral of the story can be applied in all areas of life. For example, even though you have the power to do certain things it doesn’t mean you should use that power unless it is used properly at the right times or even good intentions can be carried to far.

I love that this story is now in book form. The illustrations are beautiful! My children have enjoyed looking at it over and over again. It fast became a bedtime favorite, especially for Special Dark who is seven. He relates very well with boys wanting to play with fire. 🙂

About the Authors

PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON has served as the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 2008. He was called as an Apostle in 1963 at the age of thirty-six. After serving as second counselor to President Ezra Taft Benson and then President Howard W. Hunter, he served as first counselor to President Gordon B. Hinckley from 1995 to 2008.

Thomas Spencer Monson was born to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson on August 21, 1927, in Salt Lake City. Following his service in the U.S. Navy near the close of World War II, he graduated cum laude from the University of Utah and earned an MBA from Brigham Young University. He had a distinguished career in the publishing industry.

He served as president of the Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962 and was a member of several general Church committees before becoming an Apostle.

He married Frances Beverly Johnson in the Salt Lake Temple in 1948. They are the parents of two sons and one daughter. They have eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

DAN BURR earned his bachelor of fine arts degree from Utah State University and a master’s degree in illustration from Syracuse University. He and his wife, Patti, are raising their two children and numerous farm animals on twelve acres of river-bottom land in Tetonia, Idaho. Dan is a well-known Christian illustrator who also specializes in wildlife renderings. A few of the books Dan has illustrated are The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and The Mansion.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of One Little Match by Deseret Book to review. All opinions are my own.