Prayer for a Child

September 6, 2004
Celebrating its initial publication 60 years ago, the Caldecott Medal-winning Prayer for a Child: Diamond Anniversary Edition by Rachel Field, illus. by Elizabeth Orton Jones, reappears in a paper-over-board format. The complete prayer, written in rhymed couplets, appears on the first page; then a few lines per page accompany serene illustrations of a girl in tender moments-stargazing out a window or smiling up at her parents. "Bless the lamplight, bless the fire/ Bless the hands that never tire/ In their loving care of me/ Bless my friends and family." This lovely book lends itself to nightly repetition (a reference to Jesus tags it for a Christian audience). .