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Prayers for Children

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Give the gift of these classic children's prayers that are enhanced by stunning watercolor illustrations.

This treasured classic is filled with carefully selected, beautiful prayers, flanked by watercolor illustrations that soar off the page, or inspire quiet contemplation. Illustrated by the renowned Eloise Wilkin, it features her realistic artwork of cherubic young children and babies.

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

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About the author

Eloise Wilkin

165 books43 followers
Eloise Margaret Wilkin, born Eloise Margaret Burns was an American illustrator. She was best known as an illustrator of Little Golden Books. Many of the picture books she illustrated have become classics of American children's literature. Jane Werner Watson, who edited and wrote hundreds of Golden Books, called Eloise Wilkin "the soul of Little Golden Books", and Wilkin's books remain highly collectible. Her watercolor and colored pencil illustrations are known for their glowing depiction of babies, toddlers, and their parents in idyllic rural and domestic settings.

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5 stars
2,109 (63%)
4 stars
627 (18%)
3 stars
418 (12%)
2 stars
95 (2%)
1 star
62 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for The Celtic Rebel (Richard).
598 reviews5 followers
June 8, 2019
Beautiful and inspirational collection of poetry and rhyme. My parents read this to me as a kid. I loved it and we continued to do so with our children, and now our grandchildren. They all love it too. The poems/prayers selected are beautiful and the illustrations by the great Eloise Wilkin bring it all to life. A true gem in the Little Golden Books collection.
Profile Image for Margaret Chind.
3,212 reviews267 followers
July 30, 2025
Prayers & Devotionals
CMM-JrKindergarten-Review-Button-FINAl

When I was deciding options for schooling I knew that classical Christian education was at the top of my list from a time when I was a long-term substitute in a cottage/private Classical Christian School. Yes I love the classics, but the best part is being able to include and combine Christian education into all the rest. It is a part of our lives and definitely something we want to teach our children in their school and education. So of course, the next thing I want to tell you about is the Prayers & Devotionals. It is my understanding that Memoria Press is working on adding Bible stories to the curriculum as well, but as of yet for Junior Kindergarten that has not been added. There are however 26 verses, one for each letter of the alphabet to learn and possibly memorize with your child included in the lesson plan appendix.
Morning Prayer
Now before I run to play,
Let me not forget to pray
DSCF5994To God who kept me through the night
And wakes me with his morning light.

Help me, Lord, to love Thee more
Than I have ever loved before,
In my work and in my play,
Be Thou with me through the day.
Amen

Prayers for Children, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, p. 2

Each day in the lesson plans it starts with a prayer and ends with a prayer as well. These prayers come from the Prayers for Children book illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. This is just a small Little Golden Book, but it is packed with beautifully illustrated prayers that are perfect for memorization. This is actually one of the things that first surprised me so much, because we were reading the Morning Prayer, day after day and then one day AppleBlossom was just there reciting it on her own. It was an amazing parenting experience, because I wasn’t even trying to make her memorize it or quote it, I was just reading it to her day after day and she got it and kept it to heart. From this it has merged over into other daily parts of our lives and she is interested in learning different meal prayers and a bedtime prayer.
The beautiful Prayers for Children book offers the classic prayers memorized by children for generations. The opening and closing prayers are memorized first and recited throughout the year. Additional prayers are introduced and memorized periodically. Prayer time should be an exercise in devotion, memorization and formal recitation daily.

Our enjoyment of Eloise Wilkin’s Prayers for Children has branched over into loving the Eloise Wilkin’s Stories Collection as well as A Child’s Garden of Verses , both also Little Golden Books (although the collection is a special high quality hardcover) which has “The Shadow” in it one of our poetry options for during the year. Another treasure for us was found in this artist because of the recommendation from Memoria Press in their curriculum.

In a typical school day following the opening prayer suggestion is the devotional. The devotion time is taken from a really great book, Big Thoughts for Little People: ABCs to Grow On by Kenneth N. Taylor.
Big Thoughts for Little People is a deceptively rich book offering Scripture, instructional moral adages, introductory phonics work, observation exercises, and ear training. be sure to read the preface by Kenneth Taylor in the front of the book to put it to its fullest use.



At first I was not sure what I would think about this one, because I have the Family-Time Bible in Pictures by this same author and I’m not overly impressed with it in comparison to others we have seen. However, I was greatly impressed with Big Thoughts for Little People. This is a wide book with colorful and fun illustrations with plenty to look at and discuss beyond just the text. Each page has a letter and a verse and little devotional lesson to go with that letter. For instance, “A is for asking. We ask when we pray. God is happy to answer. And help us each day.” And this is followed by a lesson and verse and then about three discussion questions that brings focus to what the meaning is as well as the illustrations. A fun detail about this book is the ladybugs that you will find on every page. Once AppleBlossom caught on to this she absolutely delights in picking them out.

In the lesson plans, most weeks are one letter on both days. However on review days, there are a handful to go back through and visit again. Personally in our family, this is a book we visit often even outside of school time or relevance. While we do not just sit down and read this book cover to cover, it is well loved here.

DSCF5997

At the end of each day of lesson plans we close with another prayer, again from the Prayers for Children book. So far every day it is the same prayer, and such a good one to endorse.
I thank Thee, Lord for quiet rest,
And for Thy care of me;
O let me through this day be blest
And kept from harm by Thee.
--- Mary L. Duncan
Prayers for Children, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, p. 3

Through these two books, my young preschooler daughter is getting a heart of prayer and a foundation of devotion time fairly regularly. She loves to memorize and recite prayers and this is such a precious time and set of memories for me that was helped to form and be created from the organization and recommendations of the Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Curriculum. I doubt I would have discovered these gems without them. I purchased these for our own purposes, but I fully give credit to Memoria Press for the recommendation and pass it on.
Part I – Lesson Plans
Part II – Phonics 
Part III – Math
Part IV - Poetry
Part V - Prayer & Devotion

This post is scheduled: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...
Profile Image for Marty.
146 reviews
March 4, 2008
Read to me by parents, and to my children by me. Great thing - should be more of those things.
Profile Image for Sheila Read.
1,574 reviews40 followers
June 22, 2013
this book would be a great book for the cancer center
Profile Image for Jennifer Strong.
797 reviews9 followers
June 12, 2016
This sweet book contains several poetic prayers by various authors. Simple and short, they do indeed evoke a childlike meekness and understanding. Some are prayers for safety, some are prayers of gratitude, but they all have a sense of a relationship with, dependency on, and respect for God.

The pictures are lovely and quite detailed. Most pictures have a fancy border around them. The book was first published in 1952 and some of the poems are older than that, so the language is older- more flowery and biblical. Each prayer rhymes, so despite the grand language it flows well. In the back of the book one of the poems has been adapted into a song that can be played on the piano.
Profile Image for Dianna.
1,954 reviews43 followers
April 24, 2017
2010: My 18-month-old baby loves this book (she's a fan of Eloise Wilkin). She loves the pictures of the "babies." The little prayers in verse are very nice bedtime reading, even though we don't pray exactly that way. It's like reading hymns.
Profile Image for Vickie Simpson.
43 reviews
February 3, 2017
Beautifully written and illustrated
This book is appropriate for children of all ages and is written in poetry style prayer accompanied by precious and applicable illustrations. A true classic from Golden Books, it is a favorite in my home.
Profile Image for Theresa.
8,285 reviews135 followers
August 21, 2018

Prayers for Children
Wilkin, Eloise
This book is a great support for teaching religious practice at home
Profile Image for Heather Ligman.
196 reviews3 followers
October 14, 2012
Christian based prayers. All of the prayers I know are included in this book. Includes music notes at the back of the book to the Evening Prayer.
Profile Image for Sarah.
432 reviews10 followers
December 22, 2013
I did not recognize a single prayer in this collection so found it hard to enjoy reading to my daughter.
377 reviews10 followers
March 2, 2018
I colored on the pages of my first copy of this. I adore the illustrations. Reading it is like eating comfort food.
Profile Image for Jose Agosto.
19 reviews1 follower
December 1, 2023
Keywords: Simple prayers,Heartfelt,Classic
Summary: "Eloise Wilkin's Prayers for Children" is a classic children's book that presents a collection of heartfelt and simple prayers. Eloise Wilkin, known for her charming illustrations, brings these prayers to life with warm and endearing images of children and families. The book is designed to introduce young readers to the practice of prayer and express gratitude, love, and the joys of daily life. The gentle and timeless quality of Wilkin's illustrations, combined with the innocence and sincerity of the prayers, creates a comforting and accessible book for children and families to share together.
Prompt: Select a text that you would recommend for a read aloud. What characteristics of this book allow it to work well for a read aloud?
"Eloise Wilkin's Prayers for Children" is great for reading aloud because the prayers use simple words, and the charming pictures make it interesting. The prayers are short, which is perfect for keeping the attention of little ones. The book is filled with messages of gratitude and love, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere during the read-aloud.

Profile Image for Laura.
112 reviews33 followers
September 2, 2019
Old fashioned poetry, sometimes a little over my toddler's head, but I like exposing him to different expressions of the English language. The best thing about this book. The lovely lovely pictures. All the heart eyes. Nostalgic and perfect for introducing picture study (Charlotte Mason method) with a toddler. This accidentally became the purpose of this book, after my son would just want to talk about what he was observing in the pictures. Lovely, I say!
Profile Image for Kissa.
559 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2020
A selection of Christian-based poems and prayers combined with various artwork of children enjoying various moments of life throughout the seasons. At the end, those of music talent will find a page of sheet music.
Profile Image for Tyna.
386 reviews7 followers
October 15, 2024
The Eloise Wilkin illustrations touch my heart and the prayers are simply beautiful.
I like every single page and prayer, tucking them into my heart. A Child's Prayer (there are no page numbers) teaches young and old alike how to go about their day in such an exemplary way.
Profile Image for Set.
2,164 reviews
July 19, 2025
These classic Golden Books are priceless and timeless. The illustrations are beautiful and give representation to many. The prayers rhyme in a sweet melody. Actually, there's a little song in the back that I can play on the piano.
Profile Image for Kylie Abecca.
Author 9 books42 followers
November 5, 2019
I truly loved this book as a little girl. Reading it again brought back a lot of memories. The pictures could have been a lot nicer though.
Profile Image for Mars G..
346 reviews
July 26, 2023
This is not exactly a linear story -- it is different prayers all together. If read to a child, maybe do one at a time so not to overwhelm them.
Profile Image for Joyce Job.
Author 1 book9 followers
December 16, 2023
Such a sweet book! Adorable illustrations and prayers.
2 reviews
November 6, 2024
I can remember reading this as a child. I read it to my kids and am now reading it to my grandson. Thank you.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,270 reviews8 followers
March 28, 2025
Through doing something for someone, we express our love for God; He watches us with the million eyes of the constellations.
Profile Image for Krista.
977 reviews31 followers
May 24, 2025
Many memories of this book being read to me over and over as a child.
Profile Image for Avel Rudenko.
325 reviews
May 4, 2011
Wow, I never knew I could get my hands on a genuine children's book anymore. This 1942 "Golden Book" by Simon&Schuster is a real "eye-opener". Has every grain of wisdom to get you and your herd through the day. It even starts out with a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Highly Recommended! That is if you can get your hands on this special, one of a kind, book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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