
The Birthday Portrait
The Family Portrait
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Phyllis Clark Nichols
About this listen
When overwhelmed with growing up without Mama, will young Kate survive?
As Kate’s 11th birthday approaches, she fears no one will remember her tradition of dressing up in her mother’s heirloom wedding gown for her birthday portrait. She grieves that their handprints won’t be on the back of the birthday photograph, and there’ll be no special letter from her mother to go in her Book of My Life this year. Precocious Kate gets a few more life’s-not-always-fair lessons as she struggles and finds the courage to ask the hard questions about life.
A divinely-appointed encounter with the mysterious and elusive Mr. Josh aids in her dilemma but requires of her an innocent faith that will satisfy her deepest questions, will raise a few more, and will change her life forever. Kate’s story is the story of a family - a story blending joy and sorrow, death and new life, the joys and hope that children bring, the wisdom elders offer, the value of family traditions, and the mystery of life that remains unanswered.
©2019 Phyllis Clark Nichols (P)2020 Phyllis Clark NicholsListeners also enjoyed...
-
The House of Eve
- By: Sadeqa Johnson
- Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Nicole Lewis, Sadeqa Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright. Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold.
-
-
This could've been good...
- By Speedreader on 10-13-23
By: Sadeqa Johnson
-
The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee
- By: Talya Tate Boerner
- Narrated by: Em Eldridge
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are plenty of things Gracie doesn't know. These things keep her awake at night. Gracie longs for something bigger and grander and truer, and feels certain there is more to life beyond school and dull church sermons. She worries about the soldiers in Vietnam and wonders what it must be like to have been born Lisa Marie Presley from Tennessee instead of Gracie Lee Abbott from Arkansas. Mostly, she wishes her Daddy wasn't so mean.
-
-
Couldn't stop listening.
- By AnnabelLee on 08-18-17
-
At Home in Mitford
- The Mitford Years, Book 1
- By: Jan Karon
- Narrated by: Jan Karon
- Length: 3 hrs and 7 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's 60 years old.
-
-
Go for Unabridged version
- By P. Hennessy on 11-13-06
By: Jan Karon
-
Love, Aubrey
- By: Suzanne LaFleur
- Narrated by: Becca Battoe
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"I had everything I needed to run a household: A house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy - the two of us, and no one else". A tragic accident has turned 11-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them. With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she is not alone.
-
-
Seeing the child’s POV
- By Peyton on 04-08-24
By: Suzanne LaFleur
-
Fighting Words
- By: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Della has always had her older sister, Suki: When their mom went to prison, Della had Suki. When their mom's boyfriend took them in, Della had Suki. When that same boyfriend did something so awful they had to run fast, Della had Suki. Suki is Della's own wolf - her protector. But who has been protecting Suki? Della might get told off for swearing at school, but she has always known how to keep quiet where it counts.
-
-
Amazing
- By Robert Zuker on 10-18-22
-
Love's Dwelling
- Amish Blessings, Book 1
- By: Kelly Irvin
- Narrated by: Hayley Cresswell
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young Cassie Weaver only wants what is expected of an Amish woman: a good Amish husband and a large family. But she’s happy as Job and Dinah Keim’s housekeeper, helping Dinah, who is losing her sight due to diabetes. For two decades the Keims have prayed for the salvation of their two children who left the community in a cloud of shame and mystery. Mason knew there was more to his mother’s past than she let on, but nothing could have prepared him for learning about his Amish roots upon his mother’s sudden death.
-
-
a true test of faith
- By ZOHANCOOPER on 01-17-23
By: Kelly Irvin
-
The House of Eve
- By: Sadeqa Johnson
- Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Nicole Lewis, Sadeqa Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright. Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold.
-
-
This could've been good...
- By Speedreader on 10-13-23
By: Sadeqa Johnson
-
The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee
- By: Talya Tate Boerner
- Narrated by: Em Eldridge
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are plenty of things Gracie doesn't know. These things keep her awake at night. Gracie longs for something bigger and grander and truer, and feels certain there is more to life beyond school and dull church sermons. She worries about the soldiers in Vietnam and wonders what it must be like to have been born Lisa Marie Presley from Tennessee instead of Gracie Lee Abbott from Arkansas. Mostly, she wishes her Daddy wasn't so mean.
-
-
Couldn't stop listening.
- By AnnabelLee on 08-18-17
-
At Home in Mitford
- The Mitford Years, Book 1
- By: Jan Karon
- Narrated by: Jan Karon
- Length: 3 hrs and 7 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's 60 years old.
-
-
Go for Unabridged version
- By P. Hennessy on 11-13-06
By: Jan Karon
-
Love, Aubrey
- By: Suzanne LaFleur
- Narrated by: Becca Battoe
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"I had everything I needed to run a household: A house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy - the two of us, and no one else". A tragic accident has turned 11-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them. With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she is not alone.
-
-
Seeing the child’s POV
- By Peyton on 04-08-24
By: Suzanne LaFleur
-
Fighting Words
- By: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Della has always had her older sister, Suki: When their mom went to prison, Della had Suki. When their mom's boyfriend took them in, Della had Suki. When that same boyfriend did something so awful they had to run fast, Della had Suki. Suki is Della's own wolf - her protector. But who has been protecting Suki? Della might get told off for swearing at school, but she has always known how to keep quiet where it counts.
-
-
Amazing
- By Robert Zuker on 10-18-22
-
Love's Dwelling
- Amish Blessings, Book 1
- By: Kelly Irvin
- Narrated by: Hayley Cresswell
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young Cassie Weaver only wants what is expected of an Amish woman: a good Amish husband and a large family. But she’s happy as Job and Dinah Keim’s housekeeper, helping Dinah, who is losing her sight due to diabetes. For two decades the Keims have prayed for the salvation of their two children who left the community in a cloud of shame and mystery. Mason knew there was more to his mother’s past than she let on, but nothing could have prepared him for learning about his Amish roots upon his mother’s sudden death.
-
-
a true test of faith
- By ZOHANCOOPER on 01-17-23
By: Kelly Irvin
-
Della and Darby
- A Novel of Sisters
- By: Susannah B. Lewis
- Narrated by: Susannah B. Lewis
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twins Della and Darby Redd may be identical in appearance, but they couldn’t be more different. Della is outspoken, obsessed with purple, and desperate to be accepted by her peers. Darby is introverted, creative, and sees no need to speak to anyone besides her sister and grandmother, Birdie. Due to a tragedy from their past, all three women’s lives have been blanketed in judgment, scandal, and rumor, preventing them from experiencing true peace and contentment in their small town of Clay Station, Mississippi.
-
-
Sweet story
- By Josue Otero on 06-10-23
-
Root Magic
- By: Eden Royce
- Narrated by: Imani Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn 11 - and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going to train them in rootwork. And Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon.
-
-
Amazing!!!
- By Kindle Customer on 05-10-21
By: Eden Royce
-
Sunnyside Plaza
- By: Scott Simon
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sally Miyake can't read, but she learns lots of things. Like bricks are made of clay and vitamin D comes from the sun. Sally is happy working in the kitchen at Sunnyside Plaza, the community center she lives in with other adults with developmental disabilities. For Sally and her friends, Sunnyside is the only home they've ever known. Everything changes the day a resident unexpectedly dies. After a series of tragic events, Detectives Esther Rivas and Lon Bridges begin asking questions. Are the incidents accidents? Or is something more disturbing happening?
-
-
Nursing home resident
- By Peter on 02-15-20
By: Scott Simon
-
All Manner of Things
- By: Susie Finkbeiner
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Annie Jacobson's brother Mike enlists as a medic in the Army in 1967, he hands her a piece of paper with the address of their long-estranged father. If anything should happen to him in Vietnam, Mike says, Annie must let their father know. In Mike's absence, their father returns to face tragedy at home, adding an extra measure of complication to an already tense time. As they work toward healing and pray fervently for Mike's safety overseas, letter by letter the Jacobsons must find a way to pull together as a family, regardless of past hurts.
-
-
Real fiction
- By Katijanae on 01-19-23
By: Susie Finkbeiner
-
Roll with It
- By: Jamie Sumner
- Narrated by: Candace Thaxton
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ellie’s a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker. If she’s not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she’s practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother.
-
-
BEST!!!!!!!💕❤️♥️
- By G. Stiller on 07-22-20
By: Jamie Sumner
-
Kristy's Great Idea
- The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 1
- By: Ann M. Martin
- Narrated by: Elle Fanning
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Kristy Thomas has the great idea to form a baby-sitters club - a chance to earn money and spend time with her friends, all while doing something they each love to do - she has no idea how much the club will change everything. Crank calls, uncontrollable toddlers, wild pets, untruthful clients...running a business is hard work! Kristy and her co-founders, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey, are sure they can handle anything. But only if they stick together....
-
-
Fun
- By Beka B. on 08-14-19
By: Ann M. Martin
-
The Family Journal
- By: Carolyn Brown
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of her rope, single mom Lily Anderson is determined to move her rebellious children in the right direction. That means taking away their cell phones, tablets, and computers—at least temporarily—and moving to the house where Lily grew up in the rural town of Comfort, Texas. But Lily has a bigger challenge than two sulking teens. The house comes with Mack Cooper, high school teacher and handsome longtime renter. The arrangement: just housemates. But Mack’s devoted attention to the kids starts to warm Lily’s resistant heart.
-
-
100th story and 100 thank you’d
- By Satinstitcher on 11-12-19
By: Carolyn Brown
-
Ways to Make Sunshine
- Ryan Hart, Book 1
- By: Renée Watson
- Narrated by: Sisi Aisha Johnson
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson comes the first book in a young middle grade series about Ryan Hart, a girl who is pure spirit, kindness and sunshine. Ryan Hart has a lot on her mind – school, self-image and especially family. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. That means some changes, like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks.
-
-
Sweet and funny
- By Garret & Tricy on 07-25-21
By: Renée Watson
-
Full Cicada Moon
- By: Marilyn Hilton
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1969, and the Apollo 11 mission is getting ready to go to the moon. But for half-black, half-Japanese Mimi, moving to a predominantly white Vermont town is enough to make her feel alien. Suddenly, Mimi's appearance is all anyone notices. She struggles to fit in with her classmates, even as she fights for her right to stand out. This historical middle-grade novel is told in poems from Mimi's perspective over the course of one year in her new town, and shows listeners that positive change can start with just one person speaking up.
-
-
My 10 year grandgirl & I
- By Dava Brooke Zschau on 06-06-22
By: Marilyn Hilton
-
The Banty House
- By: Carolyn Brown
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the fading town of Rooster, Texas, all that's really left is a service station, a church…and the Banty House, a long-ago Depression-era brothel. For more than seventy-five years, Betsy, Connie, and Kate Carson have called their mama's house a home. The three eccentric sisters get by just fine with their homemade jams and jellies, a little moonshine on the side, and big hearts always open to strangers. Like Ginger Andrews.
-
-
One of Carolyn Brown's Best
- By Nanatj on 06-14-20
By: Carolyn Brown
-
Miss Janie's Girls
- By: Carolyn Brown
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Janie is at the end of a long and full life, but she has no intention of crossing that finish line until she’s found her girls.... It’s been ten years since Teresa and Kayla shook off the dust of Birthright, Texas, went their separate ways, and never looked back. Apart from their foster mom, Miss Janie, they don’t have many fond memories of their hometown. Or of each other. Still, neither can forget the kind woman who opened her home and heart to two teenagers in need.
-
-
Not worth the time
- By AK on 11-05-20
By: Carolyn Brown
-
The Art of Mending
- By: Elizabeth Berg
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As soon as she arrives at her family's annual reunion, Laura Bartone realizes that something is not right with her sister. Wrapped up in past events, Caroline is the family's black sheep. When she confronts Laura and their brother with devastating allegations about their mother, the three have a difficult time reconciling their varying experiences in the same house. But a sudden misfortune will lead them all to face the past, their own culpability, and their common need for love and forgiveness.
-
-
What???
- By Pamela Harvey on 09-02-08
By: Elizabeth Berg
What listeners say about The Birthday Portrait
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laura Berg
- 01-20-21
Yes!
Loved it. Phyllis's narration is excellent. By the end of the book I felt as though I had personally met all the characters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!