His Treasure Seekers

If you’re looking for a sweet, thoughtful book to read with your preschooler, I would encourage you to check out I Prayed For You by Jean Fischer.  I received a copy from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, and from the first time I read it through I was convinced that this 20-page board book was definitely going to be one of those stories I read again and again to my children.

A mother bear narrates the book, and each page alternates between her talking to her young cub about some aspect of life and short, rhyming prayers to God about that particular thing.  The first page sets the stage beautifully:

Before you were born, I asked God for something special.  I asked Him for you.

“Dear loving Father in heaven above, send a sweet baby for Mama to love.”

I instantly remembered the years before I had children and that was the deepest cry of my heart.  I remember the pain of waiting and longing for that positive pregnancy test, and the overwhelming thankfulness I felt once they had arrived.  Almost every page in this book connected with my heart and had me nodding in agreement.  Mama Bear talks to her cub about watching his first steps and praying for God’s guidance, listening to his first prayers and praying he will always turn to God, tending her cub’s injuries and praying for God’s comfort, and so on.  The only page that didn’t really fit for us was the page about sending her cub off to school for a whole day without her, but I’m sure we’ll find other situations that we can relate to in a similar way.

For older kids the board book form and cuddly bear illustrations might seem too babyish, but they’ll certainly appreciate the love expressed on each page.   Even if younger kids haven’t necessarily experienced some of the things in the book yet I think they’ll love hearing about how someone has been praying for them.  This is the perfect book for taking some time to sit down for a good snuggle to reassure your children of how precious they are.