What a wonderful book that illustrates the power of practicing what you preach. You never know when your children are watching you and what they are thinking. As a wife of a pastor and mom of 3 boys, this book really captured what I hope my boys see when they watch their dad. I loved the illustrations as well, which capture the love the father and son have for each other. The illustration for "December Morning" shows the father praying at the window and I think it is meant to be from the son's perspective, because he looks almost larger than life which is the way I imagine the young boy sees his dad. ( )

A child is expressing through poem how much he loves his daddy and emphasizes the way that his daddy talks to God. ( )

I loved that this book showed things from the child's perspective, and that it's very honest. It really gives a whole bunch of different perspectives on things. The poetry in this one is a little more obvious, and it has that repitition that's good for children. The pictures look like they might be oil or acrylic.

When Daddy Prays was my favorite book for this reading log. I loved this book for two reasons. First, Nikki Grimes filled the poems of this book with figurative language that propelled the reader into the child's mind. The language exposed the vulnerability of the child's innocence. For example, in the poem "Baby Brother", when talking about his new born brother he says "they should have ironed him out first, if you ask me." Along with the language, the illustration I enjoyed. The illustration exemplified how much the child yearns to be like his father and how much he values their relationship. The front cover is a perfect example as the boy is looking into a mirror in his fathers clothes and the reflection is his father looking back at him. The reader can take away that family is a strong support system and turning to them for advice or looking up to a higher power than you, whether that be god or an adult all have positive outcomes. ( )

Age Appropriateness: Primary
Genre: Poetry, Multicultural
Media: Acrylic
Review: Through this collection of poems, a child learns about prayer through watching his father who prays for his family in every situation of this families' life. These poems also deal with the child's feelings about prayer and what he sees his father doing. These poems are good at desribing whatever the situation is and getting to the main point without using so many words that the reader gets lost or bored. ( )