Little Susan and her lamb

In Short

This nineteenth-century moral tale follows a young girl named Susan who, through her diligent attendance at Sunday school, develops a compassionate heart. When she rescues a discarded lamb from a drover, her gentle care transforms the animal into a lifelong companion and a future source of sustenance for her family. More than a simple story about animal welfare, the book functions as a pedagogical tool intended to guide children toward piety, industriousness, and the "new heart" promised by religious devotion. Its enduring appeal lies in its earnest, instructional sincerity.

The Story

The narrative begins on a quiet summer morning at a rural cottage. Susan, a young girl noted for her regular attendance at Sunday school and her commitment to keeping the Sabbath holy, sits outside eating her meager breakfast of bread and milk. Her peaceful morning is interrupted by a drover passing by with a flock of sheep. Among them is a lamb so exhausted it has collapsed. The man, seeing no profit in a dying animal, prepares to kill it for its skin. Susan intercedes, begging the man to let her keep the creature. Recalling that Susan had previously helped him recover two lost sheep, the man agrees, leaving the lamb to the girl.

Susan immediately tends to the lamb. Though it appears to be dying, she speaks to it with kindness and attempts to feed it the remainder of her milk. Her gentle ministrations—and the warmth of her apron—revive the animal, which soon grows strong enough to stand and drink the rest of her meal. With her mother’s permission, Susan keeps the lamb on the grass-plot behind their home. She proves to be a devoted caretaker, ensuring the lamb is fed every morning before she departs for her daily work.

As the lamb matures, it becomes a devoted companion, watching for Susan at the cottage door and following her whenever she is nearby. The author emphasizes that Susan’s kindness toward the lamb is a reflection of her internal character, which has been shaped by Sunday school lessons and biblical teachings regarding mercy toward "dumb creatures." This kindness extends to her human relationships; she is well-liked by her peers because she is gentle, and she is known for her charity toward the poor.

The story concludes by looking toward the future. The lamb does not merely provide companionship; it flourishes, eventually bearing its own lambs and becoming a small flock that provides wool for the family. Susan’s mother spins the wool during the long winter evenings while the children read the Bible aloud. Through the years, the lamb serves as both a material benefit to the household and a testament to the rewards of a virtuous life. Susan credits her ability to be merciful to the education she received, and the narrator leaves the reader with a final, earnest exhortation: to seek the Saviour, study the Bible, and practice the kindness that Susan modeled in her own life.

How It Unfolds

A morning act of mercy While eating her modest breakfast, Susan encounters a drover about to slaughter a dying lamb. She secures the animal’s life through a combination of her past helpfulness to the man and her own sincere pleas for the creature’s well-being.

The recovery of the lamb Susan nurtures the exhausted animal with her own breakfast, successfully reviving it through warmth and care. Her mother permits the lamb to stay at the cottage, marking the start of a faithful, daily routine of stewardship.

Growing in grace and companionship As the lamb grows, it becomes a devoted pet that mirrors Susan’s own gentle nature. The narrative draws a direct line between her love for the creature and her broader commitment to religious and social kindness.

Long-term rewards The story skips ahead several years, showing that the lamb eventually grows into a productive flock. The family benefits from the wool, which Susan and her mother process during shared winter evenings of reading and industry.

The People

Susan is the heart of the story. She is a prototypical "good child" who wants to emulate the virtuous figures she reads about in her reward books. She is motivated by a genuine, taught desire to please God and be merciful to all creatures. Her primary obstacle is the natural human tendency toward selfishness or "evil," which she actively combats through prayer and Sunday school instruction. By the end, she has matured into a responsible, charitable, and industrious young woman.

The Drover is a secondary figure who serves as a foil to Susan. Driven by commerce and practicality, he views the lamb only in terms of its hide’s value. He is not necessarily a villain, but he lacks the empathy that defines Susan. He changes only in that he recognizes Susan’s previous acts of integrity, which allows him to grant her the lamb.

The Mother represents the domestic anchor. She supports Susan’s efforts to care for the lamb by providing space for it on the grass-plot and later by spinning its wool. She facilitates a home environment where the Bible is read and labor is shared, reinforcing the values Susan learns at school.

In Its Own Voice

“I would have tried to be kind to you, for the Bible says, we are to be merciful to poor dumb creatures like you.”

Susan explains her motivation for saving the lamb to the animal itself as she nurses it back to health.

“Those who can take pleasure in killing flies, or hurting dumb creatures, would delight in tormenting their brothers and sisters, or companions, if they dared to do so.”

The narrator pauses the story to connect the treatment of animals to the moral development of children.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the cultivation of a compassionate character through religious education. The book argues that empathy is not merely a natural instinct, but a discipline to be practiced and refined. It posits a direct link between one's treatment of animals and one's eventual moral standing as an adult. By suggesting that human hearts are "naturally inclined to do evil," the text frames kindness as a deliberate choice, supported by biblical study and the desire for divine grace. It is a quiet, didactic argument for the idea that a life of small, consistent acts of mercy—whether toward a lamb or a neighbor—leads to both temporal prosperity and spiritual fulfillment.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the didactic, earnest literature of the early nineteenth century will find this a fascinating specimen of pedagogical fiction. It provides a clear window into how children were taught to view their world, their responsibilities, and their own hearts. The prose is simple, direct, and unabashedly moralistic, feeling very much like a sermon wrapped in a story.

Modern readers might find the narrative’s heavy reliance on religious rhetoric and its rigid distinction between "good" and "bad" children to be a product of a very specific, bygone era. There is no nuance here; the characters exist to demonstrate virtues or vices. However, if you are interested in the history of juvenile literature or the evolution of animal welfare sentiments, the book is quite compelling. It captures a time when a single lamb could be seen as a grand symbol of providence and a testament to a girl's moral character. It is a short, rhythmic read, best enjoyed as a cultural artifact that shows how early Sunday schools sought to shape the quiet, industrious, and pious lives of the youth they served.