This Little Prayer of Mine

This Little Prayer of Mine, by Anthony DeStefano, is one of the most precious books for kids I've seen in a while.  Written from what seems like the perspective of a child, Anthony does a wonderful job of capturing a child-like essence in every word. 

The book is written as a prayer that is said by two children, a brother and sister.  Starting out with a child-like faith and belief in God, the prayer goes on to ask God for help in certain situations, such as when they're afraid or when they're sad, even when they're trying to be good.  Then the prayer progresses on to thank God for everything, including His neverending love.  Lastly, the child asks God to help him be more like Him.  It even goes into a wondering about what the future might hold, as if the child is just having an everyday conversation with God about hopes and dreams.  In the end, all the child really wants is for God to love him forever.  This book takes certain scenes and settings we all faced in childhood and turns them into prayer form, easy for a child to understand.  It teaches the reader how to pray.

One thing that I really love about this book is the conversational style that the child has with his Heavenly Father.  It's more than just asking God for something; it's a child talking and conversing with his Heavenly Father in a comfortable, everyday style.  It's a wonderful book that any child could read and understand, learning that God is there to talk to in any situation.  

Illustrated by Mark Elliott, it's filled with very real-looking, colorful pictures that fit right in with children today.  I think my favorite picture is the one in which the father is sleeping on the couch with his mouth wide open, while his children wreak havoc in the kitchen; all the while, they're praying that when they're bad, God would help them to be good.  Love it!  You can purchase this book for $8.76 from Amazon.  I highly recommend it.

(I was given a copy of this book, free of charge, by Anthony DeStefano, for the purpose of a review.)