Kaylee Prays for the Children of the World

A girl and her grandfather spend time together in prayer for children around the world in Lee’s debut picture book.

Kaylee, a girl of Korean heritage, and her dog, Keedo, wake every morning with prayers. Once they come down the stairs, Keedo runs out to get the paper. Kaylee brings it to Halbi, her grandfather, and together they look at the pages. Some stories are funny, but some are sad. When Kaylee sees a picture of people living in tents after an earthquake in Turkey, she asks Halbi to cut out the picture. They put the image on their world map, where they post images of children from all over the world who need help. Kaylee struggles to make sense of all the suffering: “God, do you care about all these children in the world?” she asks. Kaylee gives her prayers for all the children to God. Kaylee’s desire to be aware of the world around her, and to empathize with the suffering of others, is a beautiful model for young readers. Her deep connection to her faith, shared with her grandfather, is likely to resonate with young readers who also come from religious backgrounds. Maeng’s appealing cartoon images highlight Kaylee’s earnestness, and the “Kim Family Prayer Map” gives their prayer practice a well-drawn sense of practicality. Children from many disparate places affected by both tragedy and joy are shown, giving a sense of how big and diverse the world is.

An affecting story that will resonate with the faithful.