Best for parents looking for a sweet nighttime prayer ritual to share with toddlers and preschoolers.
It’s the end of the day and time for little ones to head to bed and say their prayers.
This offering is a long nighttime prayer in verse offering thanks to God for everything good in a child’s world. This includes the bright blue skies and songbirds of a new day, “creatures great and small,” foods from the garden, friendship and music, and “home, sweet home.” The poem also offers thanks to God for his love, care, wisdom and guidance: “You teach me to be kind, / To be patient, good, and strong. / You guide me on the path / To know what’s right from wrong.” The lengthy, singsong (and occasionally clunky) verse isn’t likely to keep children engaged, but it might successfully help ease them into peaceful sleep. The illustrations depict cuddly baby animals—a dog, kitty, bear and lamb—and, in a few instances, a caregiver or two joining in the fun. The cheerful scenes have a soft, quiet quality that contributes to the offering’s overall soporific effect, as does the padded cover reminiscent of a cushy blanket.
Best for parents looking for a sweet nighttime prayer ritual to share with toddlers and preschoolers. (Board book. 2-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-606-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.
Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.
Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593691366
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, colorful start for a Christian spiritual journey.
A cheery child gives thanks to God.
“When I see a rainbow / High up in the sky / I say a little prayer of thanks, / And here’s the reason why: // Because God loves me!” This board book’s focus is the comforting notion that God loves all his children, and no matter what, he will always look out for them. The text follows an ABCB rhyme scheme, breaking after every stanza to repeat the phrase “Because God loves me!” The small, light-skinned child has spiky brown hair and wears a dress; both the child and a chubby accompanying dog are appealingly illustrated with a bright, simple color palette and scratchy lines that appear to have been made with colored pencil. God is the only name given for the deity, implying a primarily Christian audience. The book’s message is clear, and its construction is sturdy, suiting this well to parents who are beginning to have conversations with their little readers regarding their beliefs.
A sweet, colorful start for a Christian spiritual journey. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-58925-237-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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