As we enter into the season of Lent, a season of prayer, the question of how and why we pray may come up with our littles. Prayer is a foundational part of the Christian faith, and there are lots of ways to participate in this discipline. ‘Sparrow’s Prayer’ by Roger Hutchinson is a book that explores the many ways to pray.
What I Love
This sweet book has a Spring-feel. We journey with little Sparrow as he awakes with the dawn. Usually he start his day with prayer, but for one reason or another, he just doesn’t have it in him today. This leads him on a journey around the forest where he discovers his friends pray in all sorts of ways. Turtle shares with others. That’s a sort-of prayer. Mousie paints their prayers. Buck prays by dancing. And Sparrow learns that prayer, and communion with God can look different for different people.
This is a sweet book that can gently coax littles and adults alike to explore new ways to pray. Spiritual disciplines are an important part of the Christian life. However, they can look different for different people and even in different seasons. But the core of the book is that each life is a prayer. Our breathing in and out in our day to day is a prayer of Thanksgiving offered up to the one that gives life.
I love that this books helps make prayer feel less formal and more inviting. For littles that struggle with traditional quiet-time prayer (hey even for us adults that struggle at times), this book is a great way to help us remember what prayer really is. It’s an invitation to be mindful of where God is in our everyday.
What My Littles Love
This book is full of woodland animals. My animal-loving 4 year-old was just delighted to see the beautiful pictures page after page of the beautiful forest critters. The illustrations also made them feel right at home. We live in Minnesota and the woodsy feel gave them the sense that this could happen in our very own nature center.
This book is a fun one that the whole family can enjoy and imagine where God is in our day-to-day.
Baby Devotions 