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
Fifteen short prayers for younger children appear in this collection, accompanied by illustrations of children from many different cultures and ethnic groups. The prayers are primarily Christian—the author is an English vicar—with the inclusion of a Cherokee prayer that refers to the Great Spirit and a brief prayer from India that does not mention God. Others are from England, the United States, European nations, East Africa and South Africa. Fournier’s attractive illustrations are well integrated into the text, with some joyful scenes of children playing outdoors in different locations. Sharp-eyed children will notice that the illustration for the beloved German prayer “Fourteen Angels” (from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel) has not 14 but 15 angels guarding the little blond girl asleep in her bed. Though there are many collections of prayers for children, this one’s strengths are the brevity of the prayers and the varied ethnicity of the children in the cheerful illustrations. A list of acknowledgements gives some greater specificity to the prayers’ origins. (Picture book/religion. 3-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84507-535-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A shy snail sets off on a mysterious journey in this story that concludes with the surprise appearance of Noah and his Ark. The snail meets several kind animals along the way and is in danger of being eaten as a snack by a number of others. All the other creatures hurry off on their own important journeys, leaving the snail to continue his ultra-slow progress, voicing the titular refrain after each encounter. Eventually he slides up the ramp to the Ark, where he is welcomed by Noah, who has been waiting for a second snail to complete his last pair of animals. Noah assures the snail that God cares for all creatures, even the tiny and the slow. Though Taylor depicts the snail in a tiny size in some illustrations and overlarge format in others, the simple and serviceable text and illustrations and the repeated refrain make this a suitable if not essential choice for preschoolers already familiar with the basic premise of this Bible story. A poster of Noah and the animals is included. (Religion/picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: June 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7459-6150-7
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Lion/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2009
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