A Very Thankful Prayer by Bonnie Rickner Jensen

A Very Thankful Prayer by Bonnie Rickner Jensen ISBN-13: 978-0718098834 Board Book: 24 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Aug. 8, 2017

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook.com.

Book Description from BookLook:
Every day I wake up with a happy, thankful heart. From watching the leaves fall to picking pumpkins from the patch, from sharing a Thanksgiving meal with loved ones to learning how to give—there’s so much to be thankful for! Join these adorable animals as they say a prayer of thanks to God, who gives us every good thing.


My Review:
A Very Thankful Prayer is a board book for ages 4-8. The rhyming poetry was about all the things "I" am thankful for, from coats and scarves, colorful fall leaves, and the seasons to farmer's fields, pumpkins, and apples, to my family, star- and moonlight, and God's love. The illustrations have a "child-drawn" feel to them, yet it's still easy to identify the various happy animals and what's going on in the scenes. The text included who we're thankful to: "All good things are gifts from God"

I thought the use of "I" in the text without a reoccurring main character in the illustrations could be potentially confusing. There were different animals in each scene, so we started with a rabbit and have scenes with squirrels, mice, etc. Then there's a scene with bears around a table and the lines "I'm thankful for my family / and their great big, bear-hug love." That jolted me--I thought "I" was a rabbit! Still, probably not a major issue. Overall, it's a nice book with a nice message.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: