The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

In the spirit of The Little Prince, The Girl and the Cathedral is a moving story about life, freedom, love, loss, and the glory of new beginnings.

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Hardcover • 32 pages • 9 in x 11 in • Ideal for kids 3-6 years old
Created by
Nicolas Jeter

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About the book

"This emotional and beautifully illustrated tale about Paris, the cathedral, and its people will make a great addition to any library." —Katie Callahan, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD, School Library Journal (STARRED)

Named a Children's Finalist in the 2020 Maxy Awards.

"A stunningly beautiful, wonderfully entertaining, thoroughly heartwarming, and unique tribute to the cathedral of Notre Dame, The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris by the team of author/storyteller Nicolas Jeter and artist/illustrator Sara Ugolotti is an especially, unreservedly recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections." —Midwest Book Review

On an island in the Seine, a little girl plants a garden—but not a garden of flowers. It will be a garden of people, she says: Paris. And in the center of that garden will stand its guardian, a grand cathedral carved from stone and roofed with light: the majestic Notre Dame de Paris. Alas, the garden will change, as people must. The girl sees kings and revolutions, empires and democracies, wars and tragedies. There are the best of times, and there are the worst. Through it all, the light of Notre Dame keeps hope bright. But when fire strikes Notre Dame itself, the little girl is grief stricken. It seems all light has gone out—until her beloved people discover what she has planted within them all along.

In the spirit of The Little Prince, The Girl and the Cathedral is a moving story about life, freedom, love, loss, and the glory of new beginnings. It is a story about Notre Dame, but much deeper, it is a story about all that Notre Dame stands for. The book includes a fold-out timeline of Notre Dame's history with period paintings and photographs. Adults and kids alike will treasure this stunning, heartwarming tribute to the cathedral of Notre Dame.

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Meet the makers

  • Nicolas Jeter

    A graduate of Brigham Young University's law school, Nicolas Jeter has lived several years in Paris and is fluent in French. The Girl and the Cathedral is his debut book. Nicolas lives and works in Texas, where he also enjoys reading and playing the piano.

    Nicolas Jeter 

  • Sara Ugolotti

    Sara Ugolotti was born in a small town in Italy. In 2012, she obtained a degree in Architecture from the University of Parma, and in 2015, she earned a degree in Illustration from the International School of Comics in Reggio Emilia. Specializing in children's books, she has worked as a freelance illustrator for clients worldwide including Auzou Editions, IglooBooks, Il Battello a Vapore, Jilin Publishing Group Ltd, Oxford University Press, Rusconi Libri, and Usborne Publishing.

    Sara Ugolotti 
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Customer Reviews

Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 49 reviews.

Customer photo review of The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

I love your books so much and share them on my channel all the time. Here's a link to this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk3SyXeR3Sc Please enjoy and share! I'd love to celebrate my 2nd year YouTube anniversary with a few more subscribers. ; ) Thanks for all the great books; I'll definitely keep purchasing!

Jeanette B. 5/5 Verified

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

Customer photo review of The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

I love the blueprint in the front papers as well as the historical timeline on the endpapers. It adds realism to this imaginative story that weaves life maxims into the setting of Paris and Notre Dame’s history. Illustrations are enchanting and will have children poring over each page.

Jill K. 4/5 Verified

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

Customer photo review of The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

This is such a sweet story with beautiful artwork. I opened to read it to my 3 year old and she said “Wow!” when she saw the vibrant colors. My favorite part of the book was the added pages about Notre Dame’s architecture and history. They really added depth and information I didn’t know.

Christian H. 5/5

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

This is an absolutely beautiful book. A lovely story about Notre Dame in Paris. I’m sharing it with my granddaughter as she was there two days before Notre Dame caught fire so they were able to tour it and then two days later the tragedy happened so I’m hoping she will love this book and then she will share it with her children.

Janet A. 5/5 Verified

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

The book is beautifully illustrated and very moving. It is one of those children's books that is written, I think, really for adults. (That is not a complaint - I mostly bought it for myself. I lived outside Paris for a year after college.) My 5-yr-olds let me read it to them once but they were completely caught off guard when I started crying.

Emily S. 5/5 Verified

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

This book made a grown man weep as he read it to his seven and four year old children. This book contains useful (and much needed) message for any child, and stands as a reminder for any adult in today's world. I could not recommend this book enough. Wonderful imagery and storytelling!

Nicholas C. 5/5 Verified

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

There's a typo in the book. I think I might like to return it.

Hannah V. 1/5 Verified

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

Store owner replied: Hi Hannah, we're so sorry about the typo! You're absolutely welcome to ask for a refund—it's part of our guarantee :) Just email Nicholle at help@bushelandpeckbooks.com, and she'll help you out!

This was so beautiful, I was crying through the whole book. I want to buy a few extra copies to give to my friends. My daughter sat through one reading but probably didn’t enjoy watching her mom cry so much so she hasn’t been interested in reading it again so far.

Brianna B. 5/5 Verified

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

Having always been fascinated with Notre Dame, this book and illustrations touched my heart. I love the history included in the front and back end pages. The imaginary of the book gives the story a spiritual side. I won my copy from a Goodreads giveaway and will be passing the book on to my grandchildren.

Gail L. 5/5

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris

The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris
The Girl and the Cathedral: The Story of Notre Dame de Paris
$18.99