Lauren Ducommun

What Makes You Beautiful is a new devotional for girls written by Kristen Wetherell, author of one of my favorite board book series. It is a lovely clothbound hardcover with dust jacket and ribbon, along with beautiful floral illustrations by Hannah Green. It would make a thoughtful gift for girls ages 9-12.

This book is split into 20 short daily devotions. Each devotion is only two to three pages in length, so very brief and easy to pick up and read during a busy day. The theme of these devotions centers around beauty and your identity. 

Who is this book for?

I must be honest and say that I am not usually drawn to devotionals, so it’s not typically a book I would pick up. I also don’t struggle with self-worth or peer pressure–I often wonder if growing up homeschooled contributed to this. Saying that, this book may be best suited for young girls growing up with access to social media or in public school. 

I do appreciate how Wetherell reminds us of truths about a beauty that never fades; that our beauty isn’t found in the world but in Christ. The formatting and all the little stylistic details also create a very aesthetically pleasing and inviting book.

While the book is 164 pages, there are really only 60 pages of text. The other pages are filler with quotes, illustrations, or lines to respond to the journaling prompts. So this book, in its entirety, could probably be read through in an hour.

Conclusion

To summarize: Would I buy this book for myself? Probably not. Would I gift it to a girl at church? It depends on the girl. I was a tomboy as a child, so this would not have been a book that would have appealed to me, but I can think of a few girls at church who would probably be really encouraged by the words Wetherell shares in What Makes You Beautiful. I may also pass this book along to my eight-year-old to see what her response to reading the book is.

I received this book from Crossway as a gift. All opinions are my own.

What Makes You Beautiful
by Kristen Wetherell
Crossway, 2025
176 pages