Hear My Prayer

January 15, 2011

Hopkins, one of the best-known anthologists of children's poetry, has selected 13 short prayers for this collection, including two of his own. Most of the prayers are unexceptional short works from anonymous authors on topics of family, friends and the natural world. Two familiar selections are the "God bless the moon" rhyme and Robert Browning's oft-quoted "all's right with the world" lines taken from Pippa Passes. Moore's illustrations are imaginative and full of vibrant colors, and she makes an effort to include children of many ethnic groups and an interracial family, though the boys in her paintings outnumber the girls. Her child-friendly figures look as though they've been fashioned from Play-Doh, and her perspectives also reflect a child's imprecision—a pleasingly friendly touch that brings communication with the lofty and sometimes unapproachable God entirely within reach. Several prayers are difficult to read because they are printed within illustrations on dark backgrounds of night skies, but overall it is a sweet collection. (Picture book/religion. 3-7)

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June 1, 2011

K-Gr 2-This slim volume consists of 13 verses written in simple, straightforward language. "I see the moon./The moon sees me./God bless the moon, /And God bless me." The prayers are arranged chronologically, moving from first thing in the morning to bedtime. The selections, the majority of which are from anonymous sources, range from prayers of thanks and requests for God's help to blessings and a prayer for peace. Hopkins includes two of his own verses, "Your Touch" and "Good Night." The title of each poem is set in large, colored letters, and the cheerful cartoon illustrations are painted in a bold rainbow of colors. A multicultural cast of school-aged children and their families is depicted engaging in familiar activities. Children play outside, attend dance class, and ride bikes. Families enjoy a board game and gather around the supper table. Although these prayers touch on all-encompassing themes and situations from everyday life, Jeremy Brooks strikes a more universal chord with My First Prayers (Frances Lincoln, 2009) and Lois Rock offers a more varied selection of traditional prayers in Our Father and Other Classic Prayers for Children (Lion UK, 2010).-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

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