When Daddy Prays

With Father's Day just weeks away, prolific author Nikki Grimes provides a great gift with this great title. When Daddy Prays offers a collection of heartfelt poetry. Most are told from a child's perspective, but others are prayers offered by a loving father. They artfully tell of a father's love for his children and his devotion to prayer and to God. One talks of a child's jealousy over a new sibling. Another shares a father's pride at his son's baseball game. Page after page invites readers into an intimate relationship between father and child, one that teaches of faith, trust, patience, strength and hard work.

Tim Ladwig served as illustrator. His trademark style fills the pages with deep colors and sentiment. Both the text and the illustrations reveal a vibrant African American flavor.

What I Like: While many children's books sport rhyming text, this book offers beautiful poetry. It's a lovely collection, a wonderful tribute to fathers. I really like the illustrations. Mr. Ladwig always does a fantastic job. The size of the book is nice, too. It's big and strong, something that will last a long time in a house with kids.

What I Dislike: Nothing really. Some of the poems obviously target adults rather than children. I'm not sure my kids understood everything. The depth of a parent's love and concern can sometimes only be understood when one becomes a parent himself.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: 4 and above

Publisher Info: Eerdman's Books for Young Readers, 2002; ISBN: 0802851525; Hardback; $16.00

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Special Info: This book is also available in paperback for $5.99 from Christianbook.com or for $8.00 from Amazon.com. See our reviews of other books by this author or other books by this illustrator.