ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

Isaac and his father enjoy their nightly ritual of two stories read out loud before father listens to son’s bedtime prayer. In this first-person narrative, the little boy extends his prayer (and his time with Dad) by asking some fundamental questions about their family’s religious beliefs. After blessing his family and all the creatures of the earth, the boy asks about praying for those in jail, how homeless people pray at night if they have no beds and if everyone prays to the same God. His father patiently answers each question in a reassuring way before gently tucking the boy in bed under a vibrantly patterned quilt. The story is heartfelt, but Isaac’s voice lacks the authentic tone of a child, seeming more like an adult trying to take on a child’s perceived concerns. Johnson and Fancher’s appealing collage illustrations use patterned fabrics and cloth to create the squares of the boy’s quilt, with a black-and-white checkerboard border extending from the quilt and wrapping cozily around the edge of each spread. (Picture book/religion. 4-7)