The publisher shares: A companion prayer book to 99 Stories from the Bible with delightful illustrations in a strong vibrant style and prayers for all occasions. The prayers are a combination of traditional and modern and provide an introduction to family prayer time with young children, bringing talking to God to life in the heart of every child.
Target age: 5-7 year olds
My review:
I have two children in my home in this age group. My 7 year old can read this book on his own. This book is a compilation of prayers-- at least 10 are based on scripture, more than half of the poems have rhyming phrases, the book is broken into sections:
- Thank You, God
- A New Day
- God's Wonderful World
- Family and Friends
- All God's Children
- Mealtimes
- Hear My Prayer!
- Help Me Lord!
- Bedtime
- While We Sleep
- Special Days
It has an index of first lines and sources at the back of it for easy reference.
The poems are mostly kid friendly, although I'm not sure all the language chosen will be in your 5-7 year olds vocabulary. Some examples are in a St. Patrick prayer- purify us, or beneath us to sustain us, but the poem uses all the words that are developmentally taught- above, beneath, before, behind, around- so it is appropriate conceptually and the concepts are appropriate to raise their awareness of God's ability to work in our lives. We found the poems appealing, comforting, helpful, and child friendly.
The pictures are colorful, friendly, represent different ethnicities, have child friendly settings, the people are unique and I think most kids will find them charming (but their heads are big, necks really thin, eyes tiny , and noses on ALL people rather round and large). The clothing, setting, and toys are all timeless, so the book will span many generations.
A few poems were unique and some parents might wonder, but most pointed the reader to our Big God, His Son, and their character and presence in all of our life.
Pg. 81 From ghoulies and ghosties, and long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! (traditional Cornish prayer)
Pg. 86 Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Bless the bed that I lie on. Four corners to my bed, Four angels round my head. Traditional
Overall I liked the book, and think even younger children would enjoy the prayers shared with them in a read aloud. I thank Kregel for the chance to review this beautiful and timeless book. Prayer is an important skill in the believers life and this book gives many examples to make it concrete for our children.
