Book review: “All the Things I Say to God”
A illustrated children’s book about prayer
One lesson I’ve wanted to instill in my children is God is always with them. They can talk to Him at any time. (As a mom, I love knowing that God is with them every moment, since I can’t be!)
So, we started teaching them to pray early on. It started as toddlers with simple prayers at bedtime and has evolved from there.
Yet teaching little ones to pray has its challenges. Prayer is intangible. It can be hard to understand.
While we want to encourage our children to talk freely with their Heavenly Father, we also want them to take it seriously. Finding the right balance is a struggle.
Whenever we find resources to make teaching our littles about prayer in a way they can understand, then we want to jump right on them!
Books about prayer for children are a terrific way to help our kids understand prayer in a relatable way. Reading to our children not only is good for them mentally and emotionally, it can also help them grow spiritually.
I received a copy of “All the Things I Say to God” at no charge in exchange for providing a children’s book about prayer review and social media posts about it. All opinions, however, are completely my own and not influenced by the free copy.
Finding the right book to read
The tremendous power of books is they can teach us lessons without feeling like they are teaching. An avid reader myself, I’ve learned so many things from the written words of others.
Children’s books need to be engaging in their story-telling and in their images. Kids should come away with new ideas and lessons learned while enjoying the book enough they want to read it time and again.
“All the Things I Say to God” fits this bill well. It’s beautifully illustrated by Anita Schmidt and poignantly written by popular poet, writer and speaker, Tanner Olson.
The book follows a little girl named Abby who is learning all about prayer. We see her learn how to pray on her own and not just with her parents at mealtime, bedtime and church.
Asking the best questions
From the early days when my children were starting to grasp faith, my husband and I have told them they can ask any question. We’ll find out an answer if we don’t have one — even if the answer ends up being that nobody knows for sure.
God is big enough to handle our questions. In “All the Things I Say to God,” Abby asks the questions kids have about prayer.
The book begins with her asking her mom whether she can pray on her own. So from the beginning, we learn anyone can pray at any age and at any time, a crucial lesson for children to learn.
Talking to God as a friend
In Abby’s first solo prayer, we read her words that very much reflect how a child would pray. She starts simply with “Hi, God! It’s me, Abby.”
She goes on to tell Him about her favorite things in life, her dog and seeing a butterfly that day. Her prayer is short, simple and sweet. And that’s exactly how kiddos (and adults!) start with prayer.
I remember my own two children often praying at bedtime and talking to God about what happened that day. This is a great way to get children talking to God and realizing He cares about all that’s going on in their lives.
Growing in faith
But the book doesn’t stop there. The more Abby prays, the more she wants to learn about prayer and what she can pray for.
She learns she can ask God questions and thank Him for His gifts. The book doesn’t talk about Abby getting answers from God. It merely says she’s excited for Him to answer.
At first reading, I felt like that was a negative in the book. We all want to know how God answers our questions!
Yet, I thought about it further and realized it’s a great way to handle it. Our children would often ask questions as we read and this is a perfect discussion opportunity for kiddos who are ready to address it. For kiddos who aren’t, it just gets them thinking of what they can talk to God about.
Praying without words
“All the Things I Say to God” even covers how to pray when we have nothing to say. Abby’s mom tells her that she can simply be quiet, listen and think about God.
This is a lesson we adults need as well! Sitting quietly in God’s presence and allowing Him to talk to us is often overlooked.
Olson does a good job of introducing this concept in an age-appropriate way to help children understand prayer is communication, not just us talking to God but also us listening.
In fact, this section is one of my favorites in the book:
“So that night, after the sun set and the moon shone bright, Abby lay quiet and still. She didn’t feel lost or alone — she felt safe and loved, just thinking about God.
Excerpt from “All the Things I Say to God” by Tanner Olson
“Abby knew God was with her always, even in the silence.
“Abby paused and remembered God in the quiet moments of the day.”
What beautiful words for both children and adults!
Praying for others
Finally, we see Abby learn to pray for others. She starts by telling God how much she loves her mother.
I love Abby’s very real conversation with God in which she says: “I love donuts with sprinkles, but I love my mom more.”
This makes me smile as a mama and also reminds me of what my kiddos said when they were younger.
Who the book is best for
If you are in a phase of teaching little ones to pray, this book is a great addition to your library that will open conversations with your children about prayer in their own life. Preschool through early elementary children would enjoy this book.
As someone who writes curriculum for children, I also love it for children’s ministries. “All the Things I Say to God” explains prayer well in a group setting, too.
Ultimately, the book helps children learn they can talk to God, too, about anything at any time and do so all on their own.
