A bedtime book for praying families that will guide children in giving thanks.
A cast of sweet forest creatures thanks God in prayer for the many blessings of their day.
The bedtime routine consisting of a bath, a favorite song, snuggles, and a cozy bed may be familiar to many young children. But these particular young animals (who look more like stuffed toys than realistic animals) don’t forget to also include their nighttime prayers. “Thank you, God, / for friends and fun. / Memory making, / rain or sun.” In the artwork, a bear, a fox, and a bird fix a broken wagon wheel, and then the bear gives the fox, an owl, and a skunk a ride. “Thank you, God, / for where we live. / Enough to share / and help and give.” In this double-page spread, animals in a clearing appear to be sharing some fruit at the center of their circle. Family, teachers, nature’s beauty, and God’s steadfastness, light—“Hope for those in need tonight”—and love are other things to be thankful for. The verses sometimes stumble with regard to rhyme and clear meaning thanks to complex syntax: “Thank you, God, for your peace. / Any worry yours to keep.” The coziness of the watercolor illustrations, done in soft colors and most featuring tender physical contact, will certainly put children in a soporific mood. A scratchy technique lends the furry animals texture.
A bedtime book for praying families that will guide children in giving thanks. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3570-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
