This lovely volume delivers a gathering of poems and prayers praising God and seeking blessings. Each two-page spread offers a poetic selection that is always short enough to keep a child’s attention and is faced by a delightful illustration. Griffith has selected each item from various authors and they range in topic from a piece by Dorothy Frances Gurney honoring the close relationship between God and gardens to the well-known bedtime prayer, “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.” There are blessings for home, such as the familiar food blessing before eating, and nature, such as “All Things Bright and Beautiful” or “I See the Moon.” Featuring adorable and expressive teddy bears, each scene is painted with an exacting yet whimsical brush, ornate in detail and lush oils. Merrily situated, the stuffed bears are always accompanied by other friendly animals, such as squirrels, cats, and dogs, pictured picnicking in a cool mountain valley, cuddling in a tunnel of love, or reading under a tree. This effort is an especially pleasing way to introduce prayer to children, and Griffith’s fine artwork, which has decorated classic stories and greeting cards alike, will appeal to collectors. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-623689-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
This book for the very young adds to the growing number of books on Islamic fasts and feasts, but in its simplicity it doesn’t supply very much in the way of information. The text starts off rhythmically: “We wait for the moon / we watch for the moon / we watch for the Ramadan moon,” but make little sense when it states “We fast by day / under the moon…” and becomes downright pedestrian as “We speak kind words / and stop bad habits / under the moon.” The pastels lend a special softness and serenity, glowing with intensity when it is really night and the moon is shown in its different phases throughout the lunar month of Ramadan, and the people depicted show some of the diversity of the American Muslim community. Most young readers, however, won’t understand that the people in the book are living through a month of fasting each day, and even the author’s note doesn’t provide adults with enough details to expand upon the text. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8304-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This sweet and traditional collection includes 25 children’s prayers and poems with a Christian theme. Most of the selections are short prayers, many of them familiar graces or bedtime prayers such as “I See the Moon” and “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.” Most of the prayers are just four lines long, making this collection quite accessible to preschoolers. The poems and prayers are nicely integrated into the volume’s design in two ways, either skillfully worked into the illustration on a blank wall or on a patch of sky, or else set off on ivory panels that stand out from the art. Kangas uses children of many ethnicities in her appealing illustrations in pencil, watercolor and oil wash. She shows children in their cozy homes and yards, playing with toys, feeding pets and enjoying meals with extended family members. The overall effect is both charming and soothing, ending with bedtime prayers and a goodnight poem by Victor Hugo. A fine choice for a baby gift or as a child’s first book of prayers for a home library. (Nonfiction. 2-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3054-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2007
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