cover image All God's Children: A Book of Prayers

All God's Children: A Book of Prayers

Lee Bennett Hopkins, L. Bennett Hopkins. Harcourt Children's Books, $15 (48pp) ISBN 978-0-15-201499-5

Poet and anthologist Hopkins gathers prayers that celebrate children's relationships with God in this joyous collection. Noted poets and authors--including Myra Cohn Livingston, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Wise Brown and Madeleine L'Engle--offer tender expressions of love and thanks. In addition, many traditional prayers (e.g., ""All Things Bright and Beautiful"") and anonymous compositions (e.g., ""God made the world so broad and grand/ Filled with blessing from His hand./ He made the sky so high and blue,/ And all the little children, too"") will strike a familiar chord with young readers and their parents. Schaffer's bright, creamy oil paintings match the upbeat mood of the text. The simple language of the prayers and their focus on the universal emotions of childhood make them just right for sharing and memorizing. Ages 3-10. (Mar.)