The Shared Book

A retelling for children, based on Portals to Freedom by Howard Colby Ives (George Ronald, 1937). The words in quotation marks are the young woman's own, as Ives wrote them down.

The streetcar to Newark was long and slow and bumpy, and a man named Howard sat on it with a book open in his hands. The book was full of the beautiful answers 'Abdu'l-Bahá had given to people's deepest questions.

A young woman sat down beside him. After a while, Howard noticed her eyes quietly drifting over to his page — and staying there. She was reading along.

So Howard did a small, kind thing. Without a word, he tilted the book a little toward her, making room for her to see it too.

And that is how the two of them rode all the way to Newark: two strangers, side by side, reading the very same page in friendly silence as the city slid by the windows. Howard did not interrupt or explain. He just let the beautiful words do their own quiet work, mile after mile.

When the streetcar finally reached Newark, the young woman turned to him. Something had grown in her heart over that ride, and it came out as a question:

I think that is the most wonderful book I ever saw. Won't you tell me, please, who is the author?

Howard told her all about 'Abdu'l-Bahá — and that very Sunday, there she was, in the audience to hear Him speak.

You never know how much good a small kindness can do. Howard only moved his book a few inches. But by sharing what was beautiful, instead of keeping it to himself, he opened a whole new door for someone else. When we have something good, the kind thing is to make room and share it.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "The Book on the Trolley".

Ives, H. C.. (1937). *Portals to Freedom*. George Ronald. https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom