Doing Something New: A Prayer for Beginnings

by Mitali Perkins, Andrés Landazábal (Illustrator)

Jesus, now I come to you, at the start of something new . . . Children all encounter change differently. And whether a new year, a new school, a new neighborhood, or a new team, change can be hard. Through Doing Something New, award-winning author Mitali Perkins reminds kids that wherever they go and whatever they do, in all of these changes they are not Jesus is with them. And not only is Jesus with them, but he also understands and empathizes with them because he, too, has experienced new and difficult things. In Doing Something New, you'll find a heartfelt prayer kids can lift to God during times of newness and change, a charming story brought to life through Andrés Landazábal’s vibrant illustrations of children in new everyday situations, and a note from the author to encourage further conversation about trusting Jesus in the midst of hard things. Doing Something New is a prayer that offers children—and the adults who read with them—language to pray in times of change or stress. Rooted in the promises of the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-10, this book provides comfort and reassurance that everything matters to Jesus. Share Doing Something New with the children in your life and help them see how Jesus is with them in every moment of their lives.

32 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication August 11, 2026

About the author

Mitali Perkins has written many books for young readers as well as a couple for adults, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for the National Book Award) Rickshaw Girl (a NYPL best 100 Book for children in the past 100 years, film adaptation at rickshawgirlmovie.com), Bamboo People (an ALA Top 10 YA novel), and Forward Me Back to You, which won the South Asia Book Award for Younger Readers. Her newest novel, Hope in the Valley, received five starred reviews and was selected as a Best Book for Young Readers by Kirkus and Book Page. She currently writes and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area: mitaliperkins.com.