Bedtime Blessings: A Christian Good Night Story Prayer Book for Children

by Marianne Richmond

Beloved author Marianne Richmond celebrates God's blessings in this sweet bedtime book! Dear God, It's the end of the day and time for my prayer to say thanks for your blessings and heavenly care Bedtime Blessings offers a peaceful way to end the day with a special child, through this heartfelt prayer of gratitude and wish for God's blessings on others, too. Created to help grow a joyful spirit of contentment in even the youngest child, this sweet blessing will guide them into dreamland with a heart full of thanks and love.

Genres: Picture Books, Faith

40 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Author and artist Marianne Richmond has touched the lives of millions through her bestselling children's books that help people share their heart and connect with those they love. With 70+ books and 9 million copies sold, Richmond writes for the “unique everybody.” “Our stories are different AND our feelings are a lot the same,” says Marianne. "My hope is that my work is a bridge to the message of your own heart!"

Reviews

[Jayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations in this book! They are designed to look like a child's watercolors, and they are beautiful. Colorful, cute, fun.

The book is basically a nighttime prayer. So this would be a great book to teach your child how to pray and what to pray for.

Perfect for bedtime- there is about a sentence per page.

I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Janey Merry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prayers come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, sounds, and feelings. The act of praying can feel daunting sometimes -speaking to the Creator of the universe! My parents and church family taught me that it’s simply having a conversation with your Heavenly Father. He loves you so, so much. He will treasure anything you have to say. Sometimes, words do not come to our lips. In those moments, it’s okay to pray using your heart. I do this probably more often than a “formal” speaking prayer. God knows our heart; He knows what we need and what we are feeling/going through. Emotions can be “big” and overwhelming, not just for children, but adults as well. Books like this one are perfect to use as a guide. It is a perfect story to read over and over again. Children begin to notice and appreciate the miraculous and good things we encounter in life.

The first half of the book goes over the gratefulness part of prayer. The narrator of the story eloquently uses rhyme to list all the things, people, sights, experiences, etc. we enjoy every single day. The second half is about blessings and asking for God’s help, even in the little details of the day.

I love any and every book by Marianne Richmond. I’ve done a couple of reviews for other books of hers, but I just keep coming back! Definitely one of our favorite authors here in the Merry house. *Side story - the very first book review I did for Instagram, Goodreads, Facebook, etc. all those good social medias was "You Are My Merry" by Marianne Richmond. I felt like that picture book was a good start for this new endeavor of mine in honor of my family’s last name and my favorite holiday (it’s a Christmas-themed book). After posting it, Marianne Richmond herself commented! I replied back, and she answered again!! Oh my goodness! Talk about an (almost) thirty-year old married mama acting like a school girl/fan girl. I told EVERYONE about that thrilling conversation, probably even days after it happened.

If you know me, then my “squirreling” away from the main point comes as no surprise to you. That’s just Janey being Janey! Please tell me about other faith-based books you enjoy! It doesn’t have to be Christian; I’d love to hear about awesome Jewish picture books! Or Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, whatever faith you follow! Tell me about books you use with your children to help them understand your religion’s traditions and practices. Living in the “Bible Belt” and growing up as a Jesus-follower, I have a heavy background in Christianity. Exposure to other religions would be thrilling! And learning via picture books, well . . . what would be more fun?

[Stephanie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bedtime Blessings turns a little girl’s bedtime prayer into a story of thankfulness. This is an excellent book for parents and children with a Christian worldview. It appeals to an audience around the age of five, and includes a very diverse group of characters within the story. As the little girl wanders through her day, she is seen interacting with individuals of different ages and skin color. This story teaches children how to be thankful for what they have been provided, while allowing them to develop an understanding of prayer. Personally, I think this is a unique book that is sure to calm a child before bed, while providing them with many reasons to be thankful.

Richmond, Marianne. (2017). Bedtime Blessings. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pretty bedtime prayer! My toddler loves the pictures and the rhymes are nice.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for bedtime or church.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet rhyming book about a child's day and happenings as she goes off to bed and thanks God for all the wonderful blessings in her life. I've read this many times to my daughter.

[Sara C-S · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the goodnight prayer. even my jewish husband enjoyed it. very sweet and religious but not too religious.

[Sammy N · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the bold words.

[Beckie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice thank you at the end of day; introduction to prayer.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through NetGalley and Edelweiss.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read to young children to teach them the meaning of being thankful for everything they have as well as for all the people in their lives. It is also a great way to teach children how to pray as well as to set up a routine of nightly prayers with your children. I think it might also give adults (parents) a nudge to remember how to say thanks and have a thankful heart as well. The graphics are simple but the words are powerful. I did not have a problem with the font in this book as other reviewers tended to. This book does mention God and some people of other religious beliefs many have a problem with that, but if they use the word as whatever God you believe in, there should not be a problem. I can see this book being used as a bedtime story for many children and for years to come. With Thanksgiving just passing in Canada and coming up in the United States, this book would have been wonderful to be released in the fall instead of in the beginning of the year. The publisher generously provided me with an ARC of this book via Netgalley.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the sunny colors that drench this sweet picture book's pages as well as the reminder to count our blessings at the end of the day--maybe even throughout the day--are appealing, I found the enlarged words with different colors rather distracting. Sometimes I like that technique since it allows me to show students the important ideas in a text or on a page, but in this case, I often didn't necessarily agree with the words that were stressed as another reviewer has pointed out. As I read the book, a feeling of inner peace filled my heart, and upon reaching the concluding page, I was pleased that blessings were being called down on others, not just the one praying. Some readers might find the book problematic because of the author's use of God, but that concern could be counteracted by explaining that a Higher Power or a God, if you will, can come in many different shapes and forms.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to meet the author at BEA and pick up a copy of this book.

This is a great book to read to young children to teach them the meaning of being thankful for all that they have and those around them. It also is a way for parents to institute nightly prayers with their children, something that seems to have disappeared in many homes.

The graphics are simple but the words can have a powerful impact on impressionable children which is what we would want to create a kinder society for the future.

[jess ~has abandoned GR~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children will enjoy peacefully refocusing their thoughts on gratitude for simple joys in this calming mashup of bedtime story and prayer time. My only criticism is the rather bizarre typeface choice for the book, with certain words being enormous and bold with the letters askew; the strange words are aesthetically unpleasant and discordant with the tone of the book.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Read other reviews at decafJess.blogspot.com.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A child’s night time prayers are turned into a picture book. A fine a general boo. I do have a complaint with the layout of the words. The story uses too many bold words. Sometimes to this reader, the wrong words seem emphasized. I would suggest just leaving the “Thank You” to be bold and maintain a constant font and size for the rest of the words on a page.

[Christy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book so sweet, my grandson loved it!