Juliet David
Candle Books (2010)
ISBN 9781859858639
Reviewed by Madison (age 4) and Hailey (age 2) Schlarman and Mom for Reader Views (09/10)
“My Very First Prayers” is a compilation of 30 prayers for toddlers and those in pre-school. The prayers are well-known classics mixed with some that are not as well known. They cover all aspects of our lives from waking, playing, eating and sleeping along with our outside world. There are prayers for Christmas, Easter and Harvest along with prayers that discuss the seasons. There are prayers for family and for animals and each prayer has an accompanied illustration that is vivid and colorful. The prayers are short with simple language and were created for use at bedtime.
The girls’ opinions:
Hailey – “I like the pictures. I didn’t like it.”
Madison- “My favorite prayers were the bedtime ones on the last two pages. I like the church and steeple! I liked it. The book was about prayers.”
Mom’s Review:
I was not impressed with this book of prayers. If I was shopping for it in a store I would not have purchased it. The prayers were very traditional and did not seem to capture the attention of my girls. They are best read one at a time and not as a book in the whole. I would have liked to see updated prayers, new and refreshing, something simple for kids to learn. Most of these prayers were in books when I was a child. Why make the same book over and over? It would have been nice for someone to come up with a refreshing new set of easy prayers that children can learn or adapt to their own prayers.
The book did provide a wide variety of prayers along with some wonderful illustrations. My daughters both really enjoyed the “Church and Steeple” hand motion prayer. Though traditional and unoriginal, the book was very well put together. The prayers were short and language was simple enough, aside from a few uses of words such as “thee” which is not primarily used today. If you are looking for a simple, classic, traditional book of prayers this book is for you! If you would like to see something different from a prayer book this is not the book for you and I would suggest you keep searching. “My Very First Prayers” would make a good gift for Christmas, birthday, christening or baptism for those interested. I would suggest the book for children ages 3-5 years of age.
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