Prayers for Children (A Little Golden Book Classic)
Various authors
Illustrations by Eloise Wilkins
ISBN: 0307021068
ISBN-13: 9780307021069
UPC: 033500021060
This beautifully illustrated book was gifted to me at my baby shower. At first, I thought it was nothing more than a sweet little collection of prayers, but once I opened it up and began to turn the pages, those timeless watercolour illustrations flooded my mind with memories from my childhood. Suddenly, these 26 pages became nostalgia and something of an heirloom. Folks, this book has been rattling around bookstores (and now the internet) since it was first published in 1952… yes, over 70 years ago. And I think there’s a reason for it.
This book contains 19 prayers and poems, including the staple Our Father – it does have the doxology (i.e. “for the kingdom, the power and the glory…”) tacked on as the protestants usually pray it, but this isn’t a bad thing. There are other familiar prayers as well, such as the Evening Prayer (“now I lay me down to sleep…”). Some of the poetry was written by greats, like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The last page is dedicated to a musical arrangement of the evening prayer, so if you are a musically inclined family, you could even sing the prayer together!
Other than some of the thee/thou language that can simply be explained or changed to the modern version, it definitely stands the test of time. The many rhyming prayers will also help with memorisation, when the time comes for that.
We have the hardcover format, which is the classic format for Little Golden Book titles. It does not lay flat, but it is fairly light, and because of the nature of the book, you probably won’t be reading it from cover to cover in one sitting, so holding it isn’t too difficult. I can’t speak to the quality of the paperback or board books, though they are fairly scarce, so they may not be easily sourced, in any case.
In all, this is a good book of traditional style prayers. It is not strictly Catholic, but it has good material that can help little ones connect with God. The illustrations are what managed to stick in my memory for decades, and I still find them beautiful to behold. This is a good book for early prayers that has remained true to its claim of being a Little Golden Book Classic for several generations, and will likely continue for several more.
Do you have this book? Did you have it as a child? Have you bought this for your own child? Which prayers from this book stand out to you?
Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!
Mom Things Through Christ 