My Book of Bedtime Prayers

I have never written an online review despite being an avid online shopper. I had to write for this book, though -- it is by far the BEST, kindest, most thoughtful prayer book for children. It is sweet -- and as the other reviewer writes, about the daily things that children think about/experience. My 5 year old LOVES it. I find it very relevant and it makes him aware of a loving, present, friendly, supportive God in his daily life. I am here now buying it as a christening gift for my niece.

I was SO EXCITED to stumble across this book while looking for some nightime prayers for my toddlers: I was already a big fan of the author having read a couple of good books he's written for adults, "The Good Enough Catholic" and more recently "Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life." But more importantly, this book answers the very reason I went a-looking for a collection of night prayers in the first place: fears about things that go bump in the night, anxiousness about the next day's big events, or the cumulation of the current day's excitements and disappointments are best smoothed over by the comforting ritual of child-friendly prayer. Only then can kids drift off into a peaceful sleep. And Wilkes' prayers truly speak to a little one's experiences, each one devoted to a special theme that interest children, such as "A Prayer After a Bad Day," "A Prayer About Doing Something New," "A Prayer About Being Afraid," and "A Prayer About Going to School" (28 in all). But what REALLY made me bring this book to the checkout counter was this observation, found within a very helpful "Author's Note" at the back of the book: that each and every prayer begins with the same line: "Dear God, I know you love me so much..." He says it's because he'd noticed that his little boy always mouthed/remembered the words that began all of his favorite books. My little ones do that, too--and what a great line to have them remember, especially as they drift off to sleep!