A little boy narrates this rhyming story as he imagines what it would be like to be different animals. He imagines himself as a mouse, owl, squirrel, bird and cat, with the cat leading the narrative back to the boy in his bedroom, getting ready for bed. The concluding lines, the only religious content in the book, refer to God as “father, creator and friend,” thanking him for making the child who he is. The verse—just mundane rhymes about the way the animals move or where they live—has an old-fashioned, sing-song quality and isn’t particularly interesting or creative. Soft-focus illustrations show traditional scenes of homes and a farm; there's some added interest for sharp-eyed young readers with a repeating device of a knitted scarf on each animal and blue-striped shirts on the boy and several animals. (The rusty-red squirrel in a striped shirt with 17 seeds hidden in his cheeks seems ready to run right off the page and find a more exciting story to star in.) The final illustration in the little boy’s room includes toys, a lamp and curtains echoing the other characters and their homes. The religious content in the last spread seems tacked on to fit this story into a particular slot rather than any meaningful effort to connect children with God. (Picture book/religion. 3-6)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-310-71603-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.
Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.
Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593691366
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Stick to separate books about parental love and prayer instead.
This Is Us actor Metz and her partner, songwriter Collins, present a rhyming children’s book about prayer and parental love.
“When I talk to God, guess what I do? / It’s really quite simple: I talk about you.” Fields’ pencil and digital illustrations show different parent-child animal pairs throughout, from bears to otters to skunks, ducks, deer, and more. But from this auspicious beginning, the authors’ point of view and direct address to “you,” the child, makes the majority of the pages seem like affirmations of what they love about their child and not what the parent actually prays for. Adults reading this aloud may see this as a prayer of thanksgiving for their child’s gifts and qualities, but little listeners will not make that connection. In the final pages, the parent tells the child that they can talk to God, too, and that God is always by their side. The last spread states, “You’re my sweetest prayer.” While the individual parts are sweet and affirming of a parent’s love and pride in their child, the sum of those parts isn’t what’s advertised in the title and repetitive refrain “When I talk to God, / I talk about you.” The gentle artwork in soft colors anthropomorphizes the animals’ facial expressions to make their loving relationships clear. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Stick to separate books about parental love and prayer instead. (Religious picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-52524-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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