Loved: The Lord’s Prayer

Lloyd-Jones’s padded board book contains a gentle adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer. Diverse children play together in a verdant seaside meadow, reciting a quiet prayer to God: “Hello Daddy!/ We want to know you./ And be close to you./ Please show us how.” They climb a hill, step through wildflowers, and traverse a fallen log in single file. They request God’s attention and care (“make everything in the world right again./ And in our hearts too”) and forgiveness “for doing wrong or hurting you.” Two friends are pictured in a disagreement, then forgiving one another. The play day concludes at twilight, as they return home to a welcoming house. Lloyd-Jones’s sincere verse (which first appeared in the Jesus Storybook Bible) and Jago’s cozy, child-centered art sends an assuring, down-to-earth message about God’s love. Ages up to 4. [em](Sept.) [/em]