This fun and colorful book is full of down-to-earth advice on prayer and a surprising spiritual depth that even the youngest of children will easily understand.
Erik, the main character, walks the reader through a typical day at school, praying for his friends as they face everyday situations such as skinning a knee, losing a toy, or fighting with a friend.
Erik talks about praying with his eyes open or closed, out loud or in his heart, moment by moment throughout the day. He also talks about asking God for guidance when he doesn't know what to pray.
The illustrations by Jeannie St. John Taylor are large and bright. The book has a strong cover and binding that will hold up for a long time.
At the end of the book, a letter to parents is included, which provides parents with creative with ideas on how to read together, talk it over, take action and have fun!
What I Like: I LOVE the way Erik not only prays for his friends, but becomes the answer to his own prayers by doing something to help. In one instance he prays for a friend who is lonely and then goes over to her and asks her if she would like to play. In another situation, Erik prays for his friend who forgot to bring a lunch to school and then offers to share his lunch with him.
I also LOVE that Erik asks God for guidance as he prays. He says, "Sometimes I don't know what to pray, so I ask Jesus to help me. When I do that, ideas about what to say just pop into my head, and I am pretty sure that it is Jesus talking to me." This is a great expression of Romans 8:26: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
What I Dislike: The character's eyes, which are very large and have dark circles around them, dominate the illustrations and seemed a little scary to me, although my daughter didn't seem to mind.
Overall Rating: Very Good
Age Appeal: The book specifies age 4-8, but my daughter (age 1) enjoyed it very much.
Publisher Info: Kregel Kidzone, 2006; ISBN: 0-8254-3711-3 ; Hardcover $9.99
Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $9.99
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