Following Isabella
Author: Linda Talley
Everyone has heard of Isabella, the Spanish queen who boldly sent Columbus on his voyages to the Americas. Our story is not about that Isabella.
No, our story is about another Isabella, who is not a queen nor a leader of any kind. She is a sheep, and as everyone knows, sheep are followers. They are perfectly content to trail along behind whoever happens to be a few steps ahead.
One day Isabella begins to wonder if there isn't a better way. "Must we always be wandering about willy-nilly, nobody knowing where we are going?" But, as Isabella learns, recognizing the need for a leader and accepting the responsibility of being one are two different things.
The story of how Isabella is transformed from a follower into a leader takes place in the heart of Spain, on the dry, rugged grazing land below the old city of Segovia. There, in the shadow of the Alcazar, the castle where Queen Isabella was crowned, Isabella the sheep finally steps forward to guide her little flock.
Following Isabella presents children with a different view of leadership~not as the wielding of power, but as a service performed for the benefit of others. It is a thoughtprovoking story for reluctant leaders young and old.
